T  30 1908 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

RECEIVED    BY    EXCHANGE 

Class 


I25TH  REG.  PENN.  VOLUNTEERS. 

(See  description  and  inscriptions  pages  249,  250,  251.) 


HISTORY 


OF   THE 


€>ne 


anU 


Kegtment 


1862—1863 


THE  REGIMENTAL  COMMITTEE 


PRINTED    BY 

J.    B.   LIPPINCOTT    COMPANY 

PHILADELPHIA 

1906 


PREFACE 


To  THE  SURVIVORS  OF  THE   I25TH  REGIMENT,   PENNSYLVANIA 
VOLUNTEERS,  AND  FRIENDS. 

At  the  reunion  of  our  Regimental  Association,  in  the  year 
1893,  we  were  appointed  a  Committee  to  prepare  a  Memorial 
Volume  by  which  to  transmit  to  coming  generations  a  faithful 
record  of  the  services  rendered  to  the  nation  by  the  I25th  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  when  rebellion  threatened  its  life. 

To  preserve  the  Union  and  maintain  the  supremacy  of  the 
government  and  law,  many  regiments  of  loyal  and  heroic  citizens 
promptly  responded  to  the  appeal  of  President  Lincoln,  and  were 
mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States,  and  performed 
their  part  well.  Some  of  them  had  longer  terms  of  service,  but 
probably  none  rendered  more  effective  service,  at  a  more  critical 
period  of  the  war,  than  did  the  officers  and  privates  of  the  I25th 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  who  left  peaceful  homes  and 
avocations  in  civil  life,  and  attested  their  loyalty  and  patient 
endurance  in  weary  marches,  through  summer's  heat  and  winter's 
storms,  and  their  bravery  and  devotion  to  their  country's  cause  as 
shown  by  the  heavy  losses  sustained  by  the  regiment  on  bloody 
battlefields. 

The  lamented  death  of  one  of  the  Committee  (Comrade  J. 
Fletcher  Conrad)  while  actively  at  work  in  collecting  materials 
for  the  history,  and  other  unexpected  contingencies,  delayed  the 
work;  but  now,  after  much  time  and  patient  effort  gratuitously 
given,  your  Committee  has  finished  its  labors,  and  the  result  is 
before  you.  The  volume  is  not  all  that  the  Committee  could  wish 
it  to  be ;  many  things  are  omitted  that  you  perhaps  would  have  had 
recorded;  some  things  perhaps  inserted  which  you  would  have 
excluded,  but  nevertheless  the  book  is  now  submitted  with  the 

5 

188240 


6 

hope  that  you  will  generously  overlook  its  faults  and  indulgently 
accept  it  as  the  best  that  we  could  produce  from  the  material  at 
hand. 

Yours  in  fraternal  regard, 

WM.  W.  WALLACE,  (Chairman) 
THOMAS  MCCAMANT, 
JOSIAH  D.  HICKS, 
J.  RANDOLPH  SIMPSON, 

Committee. 
Members  deceased: 

J.  FLETCHER  CONRAD, 
ROBERT  COZZENS. 


Co  tl)e  ffiemory  of  t^e 
ceaged  €>fficerg  &  ffirtbateg  of 


fiftt)  Begtment, 


(WHO  LEFT  THEIR  HOMES  FOR  THE 
TENTED  FIELD,  AND  HEROICALLY 
ENCOUNTERED  HARDSHIPS,  PERILS, 
AND  DEATH  IN  PATRIOTIC  RESPONSE 
TO  THE  APPEAL  OF  -  -  ABRAHAM 
LINCOLN,  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED 
STATES,  FOR  THE  AID  OF  LOYAL 
CITIZENS,  IN  THE  SUPPRESSION  OF 
REBELLION.) 

tiolume  tg  fraternally 
Dedicated  by  C^e  Committee 


CONTENTS 


THE  ANTIETAM  MONUMENT  AND  INSCRIPTIONS  2 

PREFACE  5 

DEDICATORY  NOTICE  7 

PORTRAIT,  PRESIDENT  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN   1 1 

PORTRAIT,  GOVERNOR  ANDREW  G.  CURTIN  12 

PORTRAITS,  GENERALS  MCCLELLAN,  HOOKER,  SLOCUM,  MANSFIELD I3~i5 

PORTRAITS,  GEARY,  CRAWFORD,  AND  KANE  16-18 

PORTRAIT,  COLONEL  JACOB  HIGGINS  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 19-21 

PORTRAIT,  LIEUT.  COL.  JACOB  SZINK  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 22-23 

PORTRAIT,  MAJOR  JOHN  J.  LAWRENCE  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 24-25 

MAP  OF  ANTIETAM  BATTLE-FIELD  28 

NARRATIVE;    FROM  ORGANIZATION  TO  ANTIETAM,  BY  HON.  THOS.  Mc- 

CAM ANT,  Co.  G 29-100 

NARRATIVE;    FROM    ANTIETAM   TO   CHANCELLORSVILLE,   BY   HON.   J.   D. 

HICKS,  Co.   K 101-148 

MAP  OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE 102 

ON  THE  MARCH,  AND  IN   FIRE  OF  BATTLE,  BY  DR.  THEO.  L.   FLOOD, 

Co.  C 149-164 

REMINISCENT  AND  HISTORICAL,  BY  CAPT.  W.  W.  WALLACE,  Co.  C. . . .  165-201 
PERSONAL  OBSERVATIONS  AND  EXPERIENCES,  BY  SUNDRY  COMRADES.  .201-209 
PHOTO'  OF  REGIMENTAL  REUNION  AT  ANTIETAM  IN  THE  YEAR  1888. . . .  213 
PHOTO'  OF  REGIMENTAL  REUNION  AT  ANTIETAM  IN  THE  YEAR  1904. . . .  217 

DEDICATORY  SERVICES  AT  THE  UNVEILING  OF  THE  MONUMENT 219-251 

PORTRAITS  OF  COMRADES  WHOSE  PHOTOGRAPHS  REACHED  THE  COM 
MITTEE  253-290 

ILLUSTRATIONS — 

DUNKARD  CHURCH    70 

HARPER'S  FERRY  107 

CHANCELLORSVILLE  HOUSE    130 

CHARGE  OF  KANE'S  BRIGADE  -. . .   138 

A  POEM,  THE  BLUE  AND  THE  GRAY,  BY  COLONEL  PRENTISS  INGRAHAM      326 

ROSTER  OF  THE  REGIMENT 291 

APPENDIX  :  A  CHRONOLOGICAL  RECORD  OF  IMPORTANT  EVENTS  FROM  THE 
ATTACK  ON  FORT  SUMTER,  APRIL  12,  1861,  TO  THE  SURRENDER  OF 
GENERAL  LEE,  APRIL  9,  1865  331-342 


'* 


THE  "WAR  GOVERNOR"  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 
AND  SOLDIERS'  FRIEND. 

(See  pages  31,  32,  40,  and  188.) 


MAJOR-GENERAL  GEORGE  B.  MC.CLELLAN, 

In  Command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at  the  Battle  of  Antietam. 
(See  pages  46-58,  79.) 


MAJ.-GEN.  JOSEPH  E.   HOOKER. 

Commanding  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at  Chancel- 
lorsville.  May,  1863,  and  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  Sep 
tember,  1863.  Born  in  Hadley,  Mass.,  November  13, 1814. 
Died  October  31, 1879. 


MAJ.-GEN.  HENRY  WARNER  S LOCUM,  \.  Y. 

Cadet  M.  A.,  July,  1848;  ist  Lieutenant,  July  i, 
'55;  Col.  27th  N.  Y.  Infantry,  May  21,  '61  :  Brig 
adier-General,  Volunteers,  Aug.  9,  '61  ;  Major- 
General,  Volunteers,  July  4,  '62.  Died,  April  14, 
1894. 


GENERAL  JOSEPH  KING  FENNS  MANSFIELD. 

Born  New  Haven,  Conn.,  December  22,  1803.  Entered  Military 
Academy,  West  Point,  at  14  years.  Graduated  second  of  49  in 
1822.  1832,  First  Lieutenant.  1835,  Captain.  For  gallantry  in 
Mexican  War  brevetted  Major,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  Colonel 
of  Engineers.  1853,  Inspector-General  of  the  Army.  1861,  April, 
summoned  from  the  Northwest  to  command  forces  at  Washington, 
D.  C.  May  17,  1861,  promoted  Brigadier-General  of  the  Regular 
Army.  Rendered  valuable  service  at  Fortress  Monroe,  New 
port  News,  Suffolk,  and  mortally  wounded  at  Antietam, 
September  17,^1862. 


BVT.  MAT.-GEN.  JOHN  WHITE  GEARY. 

Captain    2nd  '  Pennsylvania     Infantry      December    2I 


BVT.  MAJ.-GEN.  SAMUEL  WYLIE  CRAWFORD. 

Assistant  Surgeon,  March  10,  1851 ;  Major,  i3th  Infantry,  May  14,  1861 ;  Brigadier 
G  neral,  Volunteers.  April  25,  1862;  Major-General,  March  18,  1865;  Died,  Nov 
ember  3, 1892 


BRIG. -GEN.  THOS.  LEIPER  KANE. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  i3th  Pa.,  1861 ;   Brigadier-General,  Volunteers,  Sept.  7,  '62 
Brevet  Major-General,  Volunteers,  March  13,  1865,  for  gallantry  and  distinguished 
service  at  Battle  of  Gettysburg.     Died,  Dec.  26,  1883. 


COLONEL  JACOB  C.  HIGGINS. 


COL.  JACOB  C.  HIGGINS. 

Colonel  Jacob  C.  Higgins  was  born  March  7th,  1826,  in  Wil- 
liamsburg,  Huntingdon  County,  Pa.,  now  Blair  County,  Pa. 
(Son  of  John  and  Mary  R.  Higgins.)  He  served  in  the  Mexican 
War  in  Company  M,  Second  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Infantry, 
under  General  Scott,  and  was  severely  wounded  inside  the 
gates  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  at  its  capture.  Was  mustered 
out  July  2  ist,  1848.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  in 
1861,  he  was  at  Portage  Iron  Works,  at  Duncansville,  Pa., 
and  promptly  responded  to  the  first  call  for  troops  by  Gov 
ernor  Curtin,  who  telegraphed  him  to  come  to  Harrisburg 
at  once.  He  was  then  Colonel  of  the  First  Regiment,  Fourth 
Brigade,  Eleventh  Division,  Pennsylvania  Militia.  On  April 
20th,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  Captain  and  Quartermaster  of 
the  Second  Brigade  (General  Wynkoop's)  under  General  Patter 
son.  In  July,  1861,  he  was  mustered  out  of  service,  and  at  once 
recruited  Company  G,  First  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  and  was  com 
missioned  Captain  August  ist,  1861.  On  September  27th,  he  was 
promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  First  Pennsylvania  Cav 
alry,  and  commanded  five  companies.  At  the  battle  of  Draines- 
ville,  December  2Oth,  1861,  he  led  the  first  charge  into  the  town. 
He  resigned  in  1862,  and  helped  to  recruit  the  "  I25th  Regiment," 
Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  commissioned  its 
Colonel,  August  i6th,  1862.  He  was  at  South  Mountain,  but  not 
engaged  in  battle;  was  at  the  battle  of  Antietam,  September  I7th, 
during  the  whole  day,  the  regiment  sustaining  a  heavy/loss.  Was 
with  the  regiment  en  route  to  Fredericksburg,  and  was  at  Chan- 
cellorsville,  Va.  In  that  five  days'  battle  he  commanded  the  left 
wing,  Second  Brigade,  Geary's  Division,  Twelfth  Army  Corps, 
and  while  General  T.  L.  Kane  was  temporarily  disabled,  he  was 
in  command  of  the  Second  Brigade.  When  the  term  of  the 
regiment  expired,  he  was  mustered  out  at  Harrisburg,  May 
i8th,  1863. 

In  June,  1863,  just  before  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg,  he  was 

ordered  by  Major  General  Couch  and  Governor  Curtin  to  take 

command  of  all  troops  in  southwestern  Pennsylvania,  to  head  off 

General  Imboden,  who  was  at  Hancock  with  orders  from  General 

20 


21 

Lee  to  move  on  Altoona,  burn  up  the  shops,  tear  up  the  Pennsyl 
vania  Railroad  and  gather  supplies,  which  a  large  force  of  volun 
teers  and  militia  prevented.  Colonel  Higgins  then  assisted  in 
recruiting  a  battalion  of  five  cavalry  companies,  which  formed 
part  of  the  Twenty-second  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer 
Cavalry. 

As  Colonel  of  the  Regiment  he  participated  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  and  mountains  of  West  Virginia,  and  commanded  the 
Brigade  most  of  the  time,  also  General  Stahl's  Division  for  some 
time,  and  after  the  surprise  and  capture  of  the  post  at  New  Creek 
he  was  ordered  by  General  Sheridan  to  march  at  once  to  New 
Creek,  assume  command  and  put  it  in  fighting  condition.  His 
command  was  the  Second  Brigade,  Second  Division,  Department 
of  West  Virginia,  with  three  field  batteries,  one  fort,  and  3,000  or 
4,000  troops,  covering  Hancock,  Mel.,  to  Piedmont,  W.  Va.,  with 
headquarters  at  New  Creek. 

He  remained  there  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  mus 
tered  out  July  2  ist,  1865. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  U.  V.  L.  No.  60,  and  Emery  Fisher 
Post  No.  30,  G.  A.  R.,  Johnstown,  Pa.,  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  June  I,  1893.  He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Johns 
town,  Pa. 


LIEUT. -CoL.  JACOB  SZINK. 


JACOB  SZINK. 


Jacob  Szink,  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  Regiment,  was  born  in  New 
Cumberland,  Cumberland  County,  Penna.,  July  24th,  1824,  and  removed  to 
Altoona,  Penna.,  in  1852,  to  take  charge  of  the  blacksmith  department  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  shops  then  being  built  there.  He  continued  as 
Foreman  of  the  blacksmith  shops  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Co. 
until  the  date  of  his  death  on  August  ist,  1872.  Colonel  Szink  was  a  very 
patriotic  citizen  and,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  secured  leave  of  absence 
from  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Co.,  and  recruited  company  "  E  "  of  the 
Third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  the  three  months' 
service.  He  afterwards  was  active  in  encouraging  enlistments,  and  when 
President  Lincoln  issued  his  call  July  ist,  1862,  for  300,000,  volunteered 
for  nine  months'  service.  Captain  Szink  again  secured  leave  of  absence 
from  his  employers,  and  recruited  company  "  D  "  of  the  I25th  Regiment 
of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers ;  he  being  very  popular  with  the  working 
men  of  Altoona,  his  company  was  filled  to  overflowing,  and  many  who 
could  not  secure  enlistment  in  his  company  joined  Captain  Gardner's 
company  "  K "  that  was  being  recruited  for  the  same  regiment  at  the 
same  time  and  place.  On  the  organization  of  the  regiment  at  Harrisburg, 
Captain  Szink  was  made  Lieutenant  Colonel  and  took  an  active  interest 
in  promoting  its  efficiency,  rode  at  the  head  of  the  regiment  at  Antietam 
and  acted  gallantly  on  the  occasion  of  the  charge  of  the  regiment  from 
the  west  woods  to  the  cornfield  and  where  the  regiment  relieved  the 
Pennsylvania  Reserves.  Shortly  after  the  Regiment  had  marched  from 
the  cornfield  Colonel  Szink's  horse  was  shot  and  the  Colonel  was  dis 
abled  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell  and  by  reason  of  that  disability  he  could 
not  participate  further  in  the  action  at  Antietam.  After  the  discharge 
of  the  regiment  from  service  he  resumed  his  place  as  foreman  of  the 
blacksmith  shop  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  and  again  in  1864  he 
re-entered  the  service  and  was  elected  Major  of  the  battalion  of  100 
days  men  and  was  with  the  battalion  near  Chambersburg  in  the  fall 
of  1864  when  that  place  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Colonel  Szink  was 
active  as  a  citizen  after  the  close  of  the  war  and  was  prominent  in 
Altoona  and  Blair  County  as  a  leader  among  men,  and  as  one  of  the 
prominent  officials  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  48  years,  mourned  and  respected  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


MAJOR  JOHN  J.  LAWRENCE. 


MAJOR  JOHN  J.  LAWRENCE. 

Born  March  27th,  1827,  in  Washington  County,  Pa.  At 
the  time  of  President  Lincoln's  call  for  troops,  in  July,  1862,  Col 
onel  Lawrence  resided  in  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  and  was  superin 
tendent  of  the  Huntingdon  and  Broad  Top  Railroad  Company. 
Feeling  it  was  his  duty  to  aid  in  suppressing  the  rebellion,  he 
volunteered,  not  expecting  any  higher  position  than  carrying  a 
rifle  and  knapsack  in  the  ranks.  The  wires  on  the  railroad 
announced  to  the  employes  and  others  that  their  superintendent 
had  decided  to  join  the  army,  and  in  a  few  days  he  was  joined 
by  a  hundred  brave  men,  willing  to  leave  wives,  families  and 
homes  to  battle  for  their  country.  At  a  meeting  of  the  volunteers 
in  the  Court  House  at  Huntingdon  a  company  organization  was 
effected,  and  he  was  unanimously  elected  captain,  August  ist, 
1862.  At  the  organization  of  the  I25th  Regiment,  at  Camp  Cur- 
tin,  Harrisburg,  on  August  i6th,  1862,  he  was  chosen  and  com 
missioned  major,  which  position  he  held  until  honorably  mus 
tered  out  at  the  expiration  of  service,  May  i8th,  1863.  He  was 
never  absent  from  his  post,  except  for  four  weeks  in  the  Seminary 
Hospital,  Georgetown,  D.  C.,  owing  to  injuries  he  received  while 
on  a  reconnoissance  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Chantilly,  and  as 
soon  as  fit  for  duty  he  rendered  efficient  and  conspicuous  service 
in  the  subsequent  movements  and  record  of  the  regiment  until 
mustered  out  with  it  on  May  18,  1863.  Very  soon  thereafter 
came  the  Confederate  invasion  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  report  of  an 
attack  on  Mt.  Union,  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  as  their  objective 
point.  This  resulted  in  a  prompt  reassembling  of  the  rank  and 
file  of  the  1 25th  Regiment  at  that  place,  and  on  receipt  of  a 
despatch  from  General  McDowell  (or  Couch)  Colonel  Lawrence 
took  command  and  speedily  made  preparations  for  a  gallant 
defense.  He  subsequently  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  46th  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Militia,  which  was  finally  mustered 
out  after  the  Gettysburg  campaign  had  ended  with  the  expulsion 
of  the  Confederates  from  Pennsylvania  soil.  He  then  became 
superintendent  of  the  Allegheny  Valley  Railroad  Company,  and 
later  in  life  was  engaged  in  business  with  his  sons  in  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  until  his  death,  on  March  27,  1893.  He  was  a  man  of  cul 
ture,  of  fine  personal  appearance  and  of  sterling  character,  patri 
otic,  public-spirited,  hospitable  and  generous.  Being  widely 
known  and  esteemed,  he  died  lamented  by  a  host  of  friends. 

25 


HON.  THOMAS  MCCAMANT. 

Of  Company  "  G" 


FROM  ORGANIZATION 
TO  THE  CLOSE 


OF  THE 


BATTLE  OF  ANTIETAM 


BY 


LIEUTENANT  THOMAS   McCAMANT 

Born  July  29th,  1840,  at  Antis  Forge,  in  Antis  Township,  Huntingdon 
County    (now    Blair   County).     His   father,   Graham   McCamant,   was    a 
prominent   iron   manufacturer.      Lieutenant    McCamant    was    educated    at 
26 


27 

the  Tuscarora  Academy,  in  Juniata  County,  and  at  Lafayette  College, 
Easton,  Pa.,  where  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1861.  He  was  mustered 
into  the  service  of  the  United  States  as  second  lieutenant  of  Company 
"  G,"  on  August  13,  1862,  and  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment  on 
May  1 8,  1863,  having  participated  in  all  its  marches  and  battles.  He 
was  on  the  skirmish  line  at  Antietam,  and  was  complimented  by  Generals 
Knipe  and  Kane  for  efficiency  as  an  officer.  He  commanded  a  company 
of  returned  soldiers  at  Bloody  Run  (now  Everett),  Bedford,  Pa.,  during 
the  invasion  of  June,  1863,  having  participated  in  all  its  marches  and 
battles.  He  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law  in  the  several  Courts 
of  Blair  County,  in  October  31,  1864;  served  as  chief  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth  under  Governors  Geary  and 
Hartranft,  also  as  Deputy  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth  under  the 
latter;  then  for  two  years  as  chief  clerk  under  Governor  Hoyt;  then 
chief  clerk  in  the  Auditor-General's  department  under  Auditor-Generals 
Lemon,  Niles  and  Norris.  In  1888  he  was  appointed  Auditor-General  of 
Pennsylvania,  on  the  death  of  Auditor-General  Norris,  and  was  elected 
to  the  same  office  at  the  general  election  that  year.  At  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  office  in  1892  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law  at  Harrisburg, 
where  he  still  resides,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Dauphin  County  bar. 

w.  w.  w. 

The  Battle-Field  of  Antietam  September  17,  1862. 

(SEE  MAP  ON  OPPOSITE  PAGE) 

On  the  afternoon  of  September  i6th,   Hooker's  corps  crossed  at  the  two  fords  and  the  bridge 
north  of  McClellan's  headquarters. 

A. From  near  sunset  till  dark  Hooker  engaged  Hood's  division  (of  Longstreet's  corps)  about 

the  "  East  wood,"  marked  A  on  the  map.  Hood  was  relieved  by  two  brigades  of  Jackson's  corps, 
which  was  in  and  behind  the  Dunker  Church  wood,  C. 

B. At  dawn  on  the  iyth,  Hooker  and  Jackson  began  a  terrible  contest  which  raged  in  and 

about  the  famous  corn-field,  B,  and  in  the  woods.  A  and  C.  Jackson's  reserves  regained  the  corn 
field.  Hartsuff's  brigade  of  Hooker's  corps  and  Mansfield's  corps  charged  through  the  corn-field 
into  the  Dunker  Church  wood,  Mansfield  being  mortally  wounded  in  front  of  the  East  wood. 
Jackson,  with  the  aid  of  Hood,  and  a  part  of  D.  H.  Hill's  division,  again  cleared  the  Dunker 
Church  wood.  J.  G.  Walker's  division,  taken  from  the  extreme  right  of  the  Confederate  line, 
charged  in  support  of  Jackson  and  Hood. 

C. Sumner's  corps  formed  line  of  battle  in  the  center,  Sedgwick's  division  facing  the  East  wood, 

through  which  it  charged  over  the  corn-field  again,  and  through  Dunker  Church  wood  to  the  edge 
of  the  fields  beyond.  McLaws's  division  (of  Longstreet's  corps)  just  arrived  from  Harper's  Ferry, 
assisted  in  driving  out  Sedgwick,  who  was  forced  to  retreat  northward  by  the  Hagerstown  pike. 

D. French  and  Richardson,  of  Sumner's  corps,  about  the  same  time  dislodged  D.  H.  Hill's 

line  from  Roulette's  house. 

E. Hill  re-formed  in  the  sunken  road,  since  known  as  the  ''  Bloody  Lane,"  where  his  position 

was  carried  by  French  and  Richardson,  the  latter  being  mortally  wounded  in  the  corn-field,  E. 

F. Irwin  and  Brooks,  of  Franklin's  corps,  moved  to  the  support  of  French  and  Richardson. 

At  the  point  F    Irwin's  brigade  was  repelled,  as  described  by  General  Longstreet  on  page  313. 

G. D.  H.  Hill,  re-enforced  by  R.  H.  Anderson's  division  of  Longstreet's  corps,  fought  for  the 

ground  around  Piper's  house. 

H. Stuart  attempted  a  flank  movement  north  of  the  Dunker  Church  wood,  but  was  driven 

back  by  the  thirty  guns  under  Doubleday. 

J. Pleasanton,  with  a  part  of  his  cavalry  and  several  batteries,  crossed  the  Boonsboro'  bridge 

as  a  flank  support  to  Richardson,  and  to  Burnside  on  the  south.  Several  battalions  of  regulars 
from  Porter's  corps  came  to  his  assistance  and  made  their  way  well  up  to  the  hill  which  is  now  the 
National  Cemetery. 

K. Toombs  (of  Longstreet)  had  defended  the  lower  bridge  until  Burnside  moved  Rodman  and 

Scammon  to  the  fords  below. 

L. Then  Toombs  hurried  south  to  protect  the  Confederate  flank.     Sturgis  and  Crook  charged 

across  the  Burnside  Bridge  and  gained  the  heights.     Toombs  was  driven  away  from  the  fords. 

M. After   three   o'clock,  Burnside's  lines,  being'  re-formed,  completed  the   defeat   of  D.  R 

Jones's  division  (of  Longstreet),  and  on  the  right  gained  the  outskirts  of  Sharpsburg.  Toombs, 
and  the  arriving  brigades  of  A.  P.  Hill,  of  Jackson's  corps,  saved  the  village  and  regained  a  part  of 
the  lost  ground. — EDITOR.  (From  the  Century  Magazine.} 


THE  BATTLEFIELD  OF  ANTIETAM. 


FROM   ORGANIZATION    TO    THE    CLOSE 

OF  THE 

BATTLE  OF  ANTIETAM 

* 

BY  LIEUTENANT  THOMAS  McCAMANT. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1861,  almost  nine  months  had 
elapsed  since  the  beginning  of  the  great  rebellion  that  divided 
the  states  of  the  North  and  the  South,  and  though  comparative 
quiet  then  reigned,  both  Federal  and  Confederate  armies  were 
busy  in  swelling  their  ranks  with  recruits  for  the  conflict  of  arms 
soon  to  be  resumed. 

Activities  began  in  the  west  sooner  than  in  the  east,  and  in 
the  month  of  January,  1862,  we  had  the  battle  of  Mill  Spring, 
which  was  a  victory  to  the  Federal  arms,  and  resulted  in  the  death 
of  the  Confederate  General  Zollicoffer.  This  was  followed  in 
February  by  the  capture  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  with 
many  prisoners,  after  a  stubborn  contest  in  the  case  of  the  latter 
Fort  that  brought  to  the  front  the  subsequent  great  commander, 
General  Grant.  During  the  same  month  General  Curtis  drove 
the  Confederate  General  Price  out  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  but 
the  only  movement  of  importance  in  the  east  was  the  capture  of 
Roanoke  Island  by  General  Burnside. 

The  great  victory  at  Fort  Donelson  stimulated  other  opera 
tions,  and  in  the  month  of  March  there  was  the  battle  of  Pea 
Ridge,  the  fight  between  the  Monitor  and  the  Merrimac,  the 
capture  of  New  Bern  and  the  battle  of  Winchester,  all  of  which 
were  Federal  victories,  and  had  the  effect  of  making  people  of  the 
North  impatient  at  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  lying  motionless. 
This  feeling  of  unrest  caused  the  President  to  order  a  move 
ment  of  the  said  Army  on  the  enemy,  which  resulted  in  the 
discovery  that  Manassas  Junction,  that  had  been  occupied  all  win 
ter  by  the  Confederates,  was  evacuated. 

After  the  discovery  thus  made,  it  was  determined  to  transfer 
said  army  to  Fortress  Monroe,  and  it  was  accordingly  done 
in  the  month  of  April,  and  the  siege  of  Yorktown  was  then 

29 


30 

begun.  During  said  month  there  took  place  in  the  west  the 
two  days'  battle  of  Shiloh,  the  capture  of  Island  No.  10,  on  the 
Mississippi  river,  by  General  Pope,  and  in  the  far  South  the 
fall  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  opening  of  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi  river. 

In  May,  Yorktown  was  evacuated  by  the  Confederate  Army, 
and  the  pursuing  Federals  advanced  and  fought  the  battles  of 
Williamsburg  and  Hanover  Court  House;  but  when  within  five 
miles  of  the  city  of  Richmond  and  in  sight  of  its  spires,  dis 
aster  befell  it  at  Fair  Oaks,  and  about  the  same  time  General 
Banks'  command  was  stampeded  down  the  Shenandoah  Valley 
to  Harper's  Ferry. 

The  defeat  at  Fair  Oaks  and  the  stampede  of  Banks'  com 
mand  made  the  people  of  the  North  anxious  for  a  great  and 
decisive  victory  in  the  east,  that  would  equal  what  had  previously 
been  accomplished  in  the  west ;  and  this  period  of  anxiety  was  fol 
lowed  by  one  of  depression  and  gloom  during  June,  caused  by 
the  raid  of  the  Confederate  General  Stuart  around  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  and  the  destruction  of  its  base  of  supplies,  and  by 
the  seven  days'  battle  that  ended  at  Malvern  Hill  on  July  1st,  and 
the  subsequent  retirement  of  said  Army  to  Harrison's  Landing, 
on  the  James  river. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac,  though  defeated,  was  not  dis 
mayed,  and  the  gloom  that  existed  in  the  North  was  a  dark  cloud 
with  a  silver  lining,  for  it  created  there  a  greater  determination 
than  ever  to  subdue  the  rebellion  that  had  been  inaugurated  by 
the  South  more  than  a  year  previous,  and  to  speedily  furnish  the 
Government  with  all  the  men  and  means  necessary  to  accomplish 
that  end. 

Governors  of  the  majority  of  the  states  loyal  to  the  Federal 
cause,  knowing  the  feeling  of  their  people,  and  knowing  also  that 
the  numerical  losses  of  the  armies  in  the  east  and  the  west  ren 
dered  large  additions  necessary,  addressed  a  communication  to  the 
President,  urging  him  to  call  upon  the  several  states  for  addi 
tional  men  to  aid  in  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion,  which  com 
munication  is  found  published  in  the  Official  Records  of  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion,  Series  3,  Vol.  2,  page  180. 

The  Governors  of  other  states  true  to  the  Union  subsequently 
joined  in  this  request. 

To  the  said  communication,   the   President  made  the   reolv, 


[fctH A  w  ^7 

OF   THf 

UNIVERSITY' 

31 

which  is  found  published  in  the  Official  Records  of  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion,  Series  3,  Vol.  2,  page  187,  and  constitutes  the  call 
of  July  i,  1862,  for  300,000  additional  men  to  aid  in  the  suppres 
sion  of  the  Rebellion. 

An  order  was  issued  the  following  day,  fixing  the  quota  of 
troops  to  be  furnished  by  the  several  states.  The  quota  of  Penn 
sylvania,  under  said  call,  was  fixed  at  45,321,  as  is  shown  by  note 
at  the  foot  of  page  188,  Official  Records,  War  of  the  Rebellion, 
Series  3,  Vol.  2. 

C.  P.  Buckingham,  Brigadier-General  and  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General,  sent  a  dispatch  to  Governor  Curtin  on  July  7th,  1862, 
requesting  him  to  raise,  as  soon  as  practicable,  twenty-one  new 
regiments  of  volunteer  infantry,  to  be  part  of  the  quota  under 
the  call  of  the  President.  This  dispatch  is  found  in  Official 
Records,  War  of  the  Rebellion,  Series  3,  Vol.  2,  page  208.  After 
receiving  said  dispatch,  Governor  Curtin  issued  the  following 
proclamation,  to  wit : 

Pennsylvania,  SS : 

In  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  Andrew 
G.  Curtin,  Governor  of  the  said  Commonwealth. 

A  PROCLAMATION. 

To  sustain  the  government  in  times  of  common  peril  by  all  his 
energies,  his  means  and  his  life,  if  need  be,  is  the  duty  of  every  loyal 
citizen.  The  President  of  the  United  States  has  made  a  requisition  on 
Pennsylvania  for  twenty-one  new  regiments  and  the  regiments  already  in  the 
field  must  be  recruited.  Enlistments  will  be  made  for  nine  months  in  the 
new  regiments  and  for  twelve  in  the  old.  The  existence  of  the  present 
emergency  is  well  understood.  I  call  on  the  inhabitants  of  the  counties, 
cities,  boroughs  and  townships  throughout  our  borders  to  meet  and  take 
active  measures  for  the  immediate  furnishing  of  the  quota  of  the  state. 
I  designate  below  the  number  of  companies  which  are  expected  from  the 
several  counties  in  the  state,  trusting  the  support  of  her  honor  in  this 
crisis,  as  it  may  be  safely  trusted,  to  the  loyalty,  fidelity  and  valor  of  her 
freemen. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  the  Great  Seal  of  the  State,  at  Harrisburg, 
this  2ist  day  of  July,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  sixty-two,  and  of  the  Commonwealth  the  eighty-seventh. 

A.  G.  CURTIN. 
By  the  Governor: 

Eli   Slifer, 
Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth. 


32 

Two  companies  were  designated  to  be  furnished  from  Blair 
County  and  two  from  Huntingdon  County,  but  this  must  have 
been  subsequently  changed,  as  more  were  furnished  by  each  county 
for  different  new  regiments. 

Recruiting  that  had  previously  begun,  became  more  active 
after  the  issuing  of  the  Proclamation  of  Governor  Curtin,  and 
the  patriotic  spirit  of  the  citizens  of  Blair  and  Huntingdon 
counties  \vas  aroused  to  its  utmost  extent.  War  meetings  were 
held  at  all  principal  points  in  the  said  two  counties,  which  were 
addressed  by  leading  citizens,  several  of  whom  gave  examples 
of  their  courage  and  patriotism  by  forming  companies  or  enlisting 
as  private  soldiers ;  and  it  was  not  long  until  the  said  two  counties 
furnished  more  than  the  full  quota  of  men  assigned  to  them,  and 
no  draft  had  to  be  resorted  to,  as  was  the  case  in  many  of  the 
other  counties  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Under  this  call  of  the  President,  of  July  2d,  1862,  and  the 
proclamation  of  Governor  Curtin,  of  July  2ist,  1862,  the  I25th 
Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  was  raised,  mainly  in  the 
counties  of  Blair  and  Huntingdon,  during  the  latter  part  of  July 
and  early  part  of  August,  of  the  year  1862.  Some  of  the  com 
panies  were  being  recruited  originally  for  three  years'  regiments, 
but,  owing  to  the  urgency  of  the  Government  for  troops  and  the 
shorter  term  of  service  for  which  enlistments  would  be  made,  as 
announced  in  the  Proclamation  of  the  Governor,  said  companies 
at  once  decided  to  connect  themselves  with  the  I25th  Regiment, 
arid  were  soon  rilled  with  their  complement  of  men.  Other 
companies  were  quickly  recruited  and  made  themselves  a  part  of 
said  regiment. 

The  men  composing  the  regiment  were  not  militia  nor  was 
the  regiment  ever  treated  and  regarded  by  the  United  States 
Government  as  a  militia  regiment,  as  has  sometimes  been  erron 
eously  asserted.  The  Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebel 
lion,  Series  3,  Vol.  2,  page  291,  will  show  that  on  August  4th, 
1862,  under  General  Orders  94,  a  draft  for  300,000  militia  was 
ordered  by  the  President,  and  was  to  be  enforced  in  any  state  that 
did  not  by  the  I5th  day  of  August,  1862,  furnish  its  quota  of 
the  300,000  volunteers  included  in  the  call  of  July  2,  1862,  but  at 
this  date  the  men  of  the  I25th  Regiment  were  all  in  Camp  Curtin, 
at  Harrisburg,  and  had  been  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service ;  and  the  said  Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion, 


33 

Series  3,  Vol.  2,  show,  on  page  758,  that  Pennsylvania  raised  eigh 
teen  regiments  of  volunteer  infantry  for  nine  months,  under  the 
call  of  July  2,  1862,  and  the  names  of  the  regiments  so  raised 
are  given  on  page  760  of  the  said  records,  same  series  and 
volume,  and  the  I25th  is  one  of  said  regiments.  This  same  page 
760  gives  the  numbers  of  the  drafted  regiments,  and  Bates' 
History  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Vol.  4,  page  834,  also  pages 
1084  to  and  including  1298,  not  only  gives  the  numbers  of  the 
drafted  regiments,  as  aforesaid,  but  also  the  counties  of  the 
state  from  which  the  drafted  men  came,  but  none  whatever  were 
from  the  counties  of  Blair  and  Huntingdon,  where  the  I25th  was 
principally  raised.  The  note  at  the  foot  of  page  188,  Vol.  2, 
Series  3,  of  the  said  Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion, 
shows  that  the  quota  of  Pennsylvania,  under  the  call  of  the 
President  of  July  2,  1862,  for  300,000  volunteers,  was  fixed  at 
45,321,  and  she  furnished  30,891  men  without  resorting  to  a  draft. 

The  draft  that  took  place  in  Pennsylvania  in  1862  was  in 
the  month  of  September  of  that  year,  when  the  I25th  was  in 
active  service,  and  was  to  fill  the  deficiency  in  the  quota  assigned 
to  the  said  state  under  the  call  of  July  2,  1862,  as  aforesaid ;  and 
this,  the  said  Volume  2,  Series  3,  of  the  said  War  Records  will 
show.  Furthermore,  the  said  Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  Series  3,  Vol.  4,  page  216,  show  that  the  nine  months' 
volunteers  from  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1862,  were  accepted 
by  the  President  into  the  service  as  nine  months'  volunteers. 
They  all  were  credited  with  good  accounts,  and  all  met  with 
heavy  losses  in  battle,  except  the  13 5th  and  I37th,  and  this  the 
official  records  of  the  battles  of  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Chan- 
cellorsville  and  Gettysburg  will  prove  beyond  the  least  doubt; 
and  that  two  of  the  regiments  met  with  no  loss  is  due  to  good 
fortune  alone,  and  not  to  any  lack  of  patriotism. 

The  1 25th  Regiment  had  in  its  ranks  men  from  all  walks  in 
life.  The  representative  citizen,  the  professional  man,  the  man 
of  business,  the  mechanic,  the  farmer  and  the  day  laborer  were 
found  among  its  numbers,  and  joined  elbow  to  elbow  and  tented 
together  during  its  term  of  service.  It  was  raised  in  a  short 
time,  and  enlistments  therein  were  made  purely  out  of  patriotic 
motives.  It  was  not  a  militia  regiment,  as  has  previously  been 
shown,  nor  was  any  one  attracted  to  its  service  by  the  offer  of 
large  bounties  such  as  were  given  to  secure  recruits  at  a  later 


34 

period  in  the  war.  It  can  be  truthfully  classed  as  part  of  the 
300,000  volunteers  included  in  the  call  of  President  Lincoln,  of 
July  2,  1862,  and  "  Father  Abraham,"  the  favorite  song  of  John 
S.  Gibbons,  is  applicable  to  it  as  well  as  other  volunteer  regiments 
that  entered  the  United  States  service  in  the  year  1862. 

A  few  of  the  men  of  the  regiment  had  seen  service  in  the 
late  war  with  Mexico;  some  had  been  members  of  military 
organizations  of  the  Commonwealth  before  the  Rebellion,  others 
had  been  in  the  late  three  months'  service,  but  the  great  majority 
of  its  members  had  no  previous  military  experience. 

Company  "  A  "  was  recruited  at  Tyrone,  Blair  County,  and 
had  as  its  Captain,  Francis  M.  Bell,  who  had  previously  been  a 
merchant  in  Tyrone,  and  who  had  served  as  Second  Lieutenant 
of  Company  "  D,"  Third  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 
in  the  previous  three  months'  service.  Jesse  S.  Stewart,  a  member 
of  one  of  the  principal  families  of  Central  Pennsylvania,  was 
made  its  Fifst  Lieutenant,  and  Wilbur  F.  Martin,  a  dentist  in 
Tyrone,  was  made  its  Second  Lieutenant.  Lieutenant  Stewart 
was  subsequently  killed  at  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  and  on 
May  4th,  1863,  Lieutenant  Martin  was  promoted  to  First  Lieu 
tenant,  and  First  Sergeant  David  G.  Ganoe  assumed  the  rank  of 
Second  Lieutenant. 

Company  "  B  "  was  recruited  at  Williamsburg,  Blair  County, 
largely  under  the  auspices  of  Colonel  Jacob  Higgins  and  Adjutant 
Robert  M.  Johnston,  but  Ulysses  L.  Hewit,  who  had  previously 
been  a  marble  cutter,  in  the  town  of  Williamsburg,  was  selected 
as  its  Captain.  Joseph  R.  Higgins,  a  brother  of  the  Colonel,  was 
made  its  First  Lieutenant,  and  Garian  Shellenberger,  who  had 
served  as  a  corporal  in  Company  "  C,"  Third  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers,  in  the  late  three  months'  service,  was  chosen 
Second  Lieutenant. 

Company  "  C "  was  recruited  at  Huntingdon,  Huntingdon 
County,  and  had  as  its  Captain,  William  W.  Wallace,  who  was 
connected  in  business  with  his  uncle,  R.  B.  Wigton,  a  coal 
operator,  at  Huntingdon.  William  B.  Ziegler,  formerly  a  tinner 
and  hotel  keeper,  in  Huntingdon,  was  made  First  Lieutenant,  and 
William  F.  McPherran,  who  at  that  time  was  a  student,  was 
made  Second  Lieutenant.  Lieutenant  McPherran  died  on  Feb 
ruary  6th,  1863,  and  Lieutenant  Ziegler  resigned  on  February 
25th,  of  the  same  year,  and  First  Sergeant  L.  Frank  Watson,  was, 


35 

on  February  7th,  1863,  promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  and  again, 
on  the  resignation  of  Lieutenant  Ziegler,  to  First  Lieutenant,  and 
Sergeant  T.  L.  Flood,  to  Second  Lieutenant.  This  company  was 
known  as  the  "  Bible  Company,"  from  the  fact  that  the  citizens 
of  Huntingdon  presented  each  member  with  a  Bible. 

Company  "  D  "  was  recruited  at  Altoona,  Blair  county,  largely 
through  the  efforts  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jacob  Szink,  who  had 
been  Captain  of  Company  "  E,"  Third  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  in  the  late  three  months'  service,  and  was  made  up 
principally  of  employes  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Szink  was  mustered  into  service  as  its  Cap 
tain,  but  when  the  regiment  was  organized  and  he  was  made  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel,  on  August  1 6th,  1862,  Christian  Hostetter  was 
chosen  Captain,  Alexander  W.  Marshall  First  Lieutenant,  and 
Peter  S.  Treese  Second  Lieutenant.  All  three  of  these  men  had 
previously  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com 
pany,  at  Altoona.  Captain  Hostetter  was  discharged  on  March 
1 7th,  1863,  for  wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  Antietam  and  for 
disability.  On  April  I7th,  1863,  Lieutenant  Treese  was  dis 
charged  for  the  same  reasons,  and  on  March  I7th,  1863,  Lieu 
tenant  Alexander  W.  Marshall  was  promoted  to  Captain,  and 
First  Sergeant  Thomas  E.  Campbell  to  Second  Lieutenant,  and 
again,  on  April  iQth,  1863,  to  First  Lieutenant,  and  on  the  same 
date,  Sergeant  George  W.  Hawksw*>rth  was  promoted  to  Second 
Lieutenant. 

The  principal  recruiting  for  Company  "  E  "  was  done  at  East 
Freedom  and  vicinity,  in  Blair  County,  but  it  had  in  it  an  overflow 
of  men  from  Company  "  A  "  brought  to  it  by  Lieutenant  John  G. 
Cain,  who  was  subsequently  the  Adjutant  of  the  regiment.  Wil 
liam  McGraw,  who  had  been  First  Lieutenant  of  Company  "  H," 
Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  in  the  late 
three  months'  service,  was  made  its  Captain,  and  Samuel  A.  Kep- 
hart,  previously  a  hotel  clerk,  was  selected  as  First  Lieutenant, 
and  John  G.  Cain,  a  respected  citizen  of  Smith's  Mills,  Clearfield 
County,  and  who  had  been  the  First  Sergeant  of  Company  "  D," 
Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  in  the  previous 
three  months'  service,  was  chosen  Second  Lieutenant.  On  Sep 
tember  2Oth,  1862,  Lieutenant  Cain  was,  as  previously  stated 
made  Adjutant  of  the  Regiment,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by 
the  death  of  Adjutant  Robert  M.  Johnston  at  Antietam,  and  on 


36 

the  same  day,  First  Sergeant  John  H.  Robertson  was  pro 
moted  to  Second  Lieutenant. 

Company  "  F  "  came  from  the  Broad  Top  Region,  and  other 
points  in  Huntingdon  County,  and  was  recruited  through  the  influ 
ence  of  Major  John  J.  Lawrence,  who  was  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Huntingdon  and  Broad  Top  Mountain  Railroad  and  Coal 
Company,  at  Huntingdon.  He  was  mustered  into  service  as  Cap 
tain  of  the  company,  but  on  his  selection  as  Major  of  the  regi 
ment,  William  H.  Simpson,  a  farmer  residing  in  Huntingdon 
County,  and  who  had  previously  served  as  Second  Lieutenant  of 
Company  "  H,"  of  the  Fifteenth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Vol 
unteers,  in  the  late  three  months'  service,  was  made  Captain, 
and  William  C.  Wagoner,  who  had  been  a  private  in  Company 
"  E,"  Fifth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  in  the  late 
three  months'  service,  was  made  First  Lieutenant,  and  Franklin 
H.  Lane,  who  was  then  a  school  teacher  and  had  previously  been 
connected  with  state  military  organizations,  was  selected  as  Sec 
ond  Lieutenant.  Lieutenant  Wagoner  was  discharged  from  the 
service  on  February  Qth,  1863,  for  wounds  received  at  Antietam 
and  for  disability,  and  on  that  day  Lieutenant  Lane  was  promoted 
to  First  Lieutenant,  and  First  Sergeant  J.  F.  N.  Householder 
to  Second  Lieutenant. 

Recruiting  for  Company  "  G  "  was  conducted  mainly  at  Hol- 
lidaysburg,  in  Blair  County, •where  about  fifty  of  the  company 
were  raised.  The  balance  of  the  company  was  made  up  of  men 
brought  to  it  from  Duncansville  and  vicinity,  in  said  county,  and 
from  Antis  township,  in  said  county.  John  McKeage,  who  had 
served  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  and  who  had  been  First  Lieu 
tenant  of  Company  "  A,"  Third  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Vol 
unteers,  in  the  late  three  months'  service,  and  who  at  that  time 
was  the  Treasurer  of  Blair  County  and  the  proprietor  of  a  tobacco 
and  cigar  store  in  Hollidaysburg,  was  made  Captain  of  the  com 
pany.  Samuel  A.  Andrews,  who  had  been  Second  Lieutenant 
of  Company  "  H,"  Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers,  in  the  late  three  months'  service,  and  who  was  a  puddler 
in  the  employ  of  the  Portage  Iron  Works,  at  Duncansville,  was 
selected  as  First  Lieutenant,  and  Thomas  McCamant,  who  was  a 
student-at-lawr  in  the  office  of  Messrs.  Blair  and  Dean,  at  Holli 
daysburg,  and  who  had  graduated  from  LaFayette  College,  at 
Easton,  Pennsylvania,  the  preceding  year,  was  chosen  Second 


37 

Lieutenant.  The  recruits  obtained  at  Duncansville  were  through 
the  efforts  of  Lieutenant  Andrews,  and  those  from  Antis  town 
ship  through  the  efforts  of  Lieutenant  McCamant. 

Companies  "  H  "  and  "  I  "  came  from  different  parts  of  Hunt 
ingdon  County,  the  principal  recruiting  point  being  the  town  of 
Huntingdon.  Henry  H.  Gregg,  a  member  of  one  of  the  leading 
families  in  the  Juniata  region,  and  a  brother  of  the  cavalry  leader, 
General  D.  McM.  Gregg,  and  who  at  that  time  was  a  student, 
was  made  Captain  of  Company  "  H,"  and  John  Flenner,  a  retired 
farmer  of  Huntingdon  County,  was  selected  as  First  Lieutenant, 
and  Samuel  F.  Stewart  as  Second  Lieutenant.  Samuel  F. 
Stewart  resigned  on  January  24th,  1863,  and  First  Sergeant 
James  T.  Foster  was  then  promoted  to  the  position  of  Second 
Lieutenant. 

William  F.  Thomas,  who  had  resigned  the  position  of  First 
Lieutenant  of  Company  "  G,"  Fifth  Pennsylvania  Reserves,  on 
October  I4th,  1861,  and  who  was  a  photographer  in  Hunting 
don,  was  selected  as  Captain  of  Company  "  I,"  and  George 
Thomas,  who  had  resigned  the  position  of  Second  Lieutenant  of 
Company  "  G,"  Fifth  Pennsylvania  Reserves,  on  October  24th, 
1 86 1,  and  who  was  a  hotel  keeper  in  said  town,  was  selected  as 
First  Lieutenant  of  the  company,  and  John  D.  Fee,  a  Huntingdon 
County  farmer,  was  chosen  Second  Lieutenant  of  the  same  com 
pany. 

Company  "  K  "  wras  recruited  chiefly  at  Altoona,  Blair  County, 
but  had  sixty  men  brought  to  it  from  Cambria  County.  Many 
of  the  men  of  this  company  were  also  employes  of  the  Pennsyl 
vania  Railroad  Company.  Joseph  W.  Gardner,  who,  like  Captain 
McKeage,  had  seen  service  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  and  had  been 
First  Lieutenant  of  Company  "  B,"  Third  Regiment  of  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers,  in  the  late  three  months'  service,  was  made 
Captain ;  and  Edward  R.  Dunnegan,  a  lumberman  and  one  of  the 
good  citizens  of  St.  Augustine,  Cambria  County,  was  chosen  First 
Lieutenant,  and  Daniel  J.  Travis,  who  was  an  employe  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  as  aforesaid,  was  selected  as 
Second  Lieutenant.  Lieutenant  Dunnegan  brought  to  the  com 
pany  the  recruits  it  received  from  Cambria  County. 

The  several  companies,  as  soon  as  recruited,  were  sent  to  Har- 
risburg  in  box  cars  with  the  ends  sawed  out,  and  containing 
improvised  seats  of  rough  boards.  In  some  cases  brass  bands 


38 

headed  companies  on  their  way  to  the  depot,  and  played  "  Auld 
Lang  Syne  "  and  patriotic  airs ;  and  in  all  cases  friends  escorted 
companies  to  the  railroad  stations,  and  bid  the  different  members 
an  affectionate  and  grateful  adieu,  whilst  tearful  and  prayerful 
good-byes  were  given  by  wives,  parents,  sisters  and  sweethearts. 
All  along  our  route,  to  Harrisburg,  at  stations  where  the  train 
stopped,  the  good  people  of  Pennsylvania  assembled  in  large 
numbers  to  furnish  us  drinking  water  and  wish  us  God-speed. 

Arriving  at  Harrisburg,  we  were  marched  to  our  place  of 
rendezvous,  Camp  Curtin,  and  were  assigned  quarters  in  streets, 
by  companies.  This  was  early  in  the  month  of  August,  and  here 
our  soldier  life  may  be  said  to  have  begun.  We  drew  tents  and 
blankets,  and  slept  on  Mother  Earth  instead  of  comfortable  beds 
such  as  we  had  at  our  homes,  and  here  also  we  commenced  to 
make  our  meals  on  soldiers'  rations. 

We  were  among  the  first  recruits  to  arrive  at  Camp  Curtin, 
but  our  numbers  were  added  to  daily  for  one  week  after  our 
arrival,  being  the  result  of  enlistments  made  in  different  sections 
of  the  Commonwealth.  Then  the  camp  was  filled  to  overflowing, 
and  became  very  dusty  from  the  tramp  of  thousands  of  men. 

The  recruits  underwent  a  physical  examination,  and  were 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service  daily  from  August  loth 
to  August  1 6th,  by  Captains  Lane  and  Norton,  of  the  Regular 
Army,  and  then  uniformed. 

The  regiment  was  organized  on  August  i6th,  1862,  following- 
a  meeting  for  that  purpose  of  the  Captains  and  First  Lieutenants 
of  the  several  companies,  at  the  Brady  House,  in  Harrisburg,  the 
evening  previous.  Jacob  Higgins,  of  Williamsburg,  Blair  County, 
who  had  been  instrumental  in  recruiting  Company  "  B,"  and  who 
had  previously  served  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  and  as  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  First  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  until  the  preceding 
January,  was  made  Colonel.  Jacob  Szink,  of  Altoona,  Blair 
County,  who  had  been  mustered  as  Captain  of  Company  "  D," 
and  who  was  foreman  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  blacksmith 
shop,  at  Altoona,  and  whose  previous  military  service  has  been 
given,  was  selected  as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  John  J.  Lawrence, 
an  active  and  influential  citizen  of  Huntingdon  and  superintend 
ent  of  the  Huntingdon  and  Broad  Top  Mountain  Railroad  and 
Coal  Company,  as  previously  stated,  and  who  had  been  mustered 
as  Captain  of  Company  "  F,"  was  chosen  Major. 


39 

Colonel  Higgins  appointed  Robert  M.  Johnston,  of  Williams- 
burg,  Blair  County,  who  had  been  Second  Lieutenant  of  Company 
"  C,"  Third  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  in  the  late 
three  months'  service,  Adjutant,  and  William  C.  Bayley,  a  citizen 
of  Hollidaysburg,  Blair  County,  Quartermaster,  of  the  regiment. 

Lieutenant  Johnston  served  as  Adjutant  until  his  death  on 
September  I9th,  which  was  the  result  of  the  wound  he  received  at 
Antietam,  and  on  the  following  day  Lieutenant  John  G.  Cain  was 
appointed  Adjutant.  On  November  7th,  1862,  Quartermaster 
Bayley  was  made  Brigade  Commissary,  and  Asbury  Derland,  a 
Corporal  in  Company  "  C,"  was  appointed  Quartermaster. 

Other  appointments,  at  the  time  of  organization  of  the  regi 
ment  were  Dr.  John  Feay,  of  Williamsburg,  Blair  County,  sur 
geon  ;  Francis  B.  Davidson,  Assistant  Surgeon ;  Rev.  John  D. 
Stewart,  of  Tyrone,  Blair  County,  Chaplain ;  Joseph  M.  Becker, 
of  Company  "  F,"  Sergeant-Major;  David  Feay,  of  Company 
"  B,"  Quartermaster-Sergeant ;  Samuel  G.  Baker,  of  Company 
"  B,"  Commissary-Sergeant,  and  J.  Fletcher  Conrad,  of  Company 
"  C,"  Hospital  Steward.  Doctor  Feay  resigned  on  October  Qth, 
1862,  and  Dr.  Davidson  on  November  24th,  1862,  when  Lewis  C. 
Cummings  was  appointed  Surgeon,  and  Augustus  Davis,  Assist 
ant  Surgeon,  and  on  February  nth,  1863,  Doctor  L.  F.  Butler, 
of  East  Freedom,  Blair  County,  was  appointed  a  second  Assistant 
Surgeon.  Commissary-Sergeant  Samuel  G.  Baker  died  on  March 
1 5th,  1863,  and  Henry  Lloyd  Irvine,  a  private  of  Company  "G," 
was  made  his  successor. 

At  the  time  tfie  regiment  was  organized  the  exigencies  of  the 
General  Government  were  great,  and  it  was  sorely  in  need  of 
men.  Harrison's  Landing,  on  the  James  river,  to  which  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  under  General  McClellan,  had  fallen  back 
after  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill,  was  evacuated  the  very  day  the 
1 25th  was  organized,  and  the  Army  of  Virginia,  under  General 
Pope,  was  then  being  confronted  on  the  Rappahannock  and 
Rapidan  rivers  by  large  detachments  from  General  Lee's  Con 
federate  Army.  Previously,  Stonewall  Jackson  had  defeated,  at 
Cedar  Mountain,  General  Banks'  command,  to  which  we  were 
subsequently  attached. 

To  show  the  urgency  of  the  Government  for  troops  in  August, 
1862,  it  is  but  necessary  to  refer  to  the  Official  Records  of  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion ;  and  in  Series  3,  Vol.  2,  page  366,  of  said 


40 

records,   we  find  the  following  dispatch   from  the   President  to 
Governor  Curtin,  viz. : 

War  Department, 

Washington,  D.  C, 

August  12,  1862. 
Governor  Curtin, 

Harrisburg,  Pa. 

It  is  very  important  for  some  regiments  to  arrive  here  at  once.  What 
lack  you  from  us?  What  can  we  do  to  expedite  matters?  Answer. 

A.  LINCOLN. 
To  this  dispatch,  Governor  Curtin  replied  as  follows : 

Harrisburg,   Pa.,  August   12,   1862. 
A.  Lincoln, 

President  of  the  United  States, 
Washington,  D.   C. 

Three  regiments  will  be  organized  this  morning,  and  leave  as  soon  as 
transportation  is  ready.  We  have  13,000  men  here,  and  will  organize 
as  rapidly  as  equipments  and  transportation  can  be  provided.  The 
regiments  from  Lancaster  can  go,  and  expect  to  hear  from  Philadelphia 
that  some  are  ready  there. 

A.    G.    CURTIN, 

Governor. 

The  second  day  after  we  left  Harrisburg,  these  same  War 
Records  show,  in  Series  3,  Vol.  2,  page  407,  the  following  dis 
patch  from  General  Halleck: 

Washington,  D.  C, 

August  18,  1862. 
Brigadier  General  Ketchum, 
Harrisburg,   Pa. 

Confer  with  Governor  Curtin,  and  urge  upon  him  the  importance  of 
pushing  forward  troops  without  a  moment's  delay.  The  enemy  is 
accumulating  troops  more  rapidly  than  we  are,  and  re-inforcements  must 
be  sent  us  with  all  possible  haste. 

H.  W.  HALLECK, 

General   in   Chief. 

The  regiment,  at  the  date  of  its  organization,  on  August  :6th, 
1862,  numbered  906  officers  and  enlisted  men.  It  was  armed 


41 

that  afternoon  with  Springfield  rifled  muskets,  and  then  ordered 
to  proceed  to  the  seat  of  war.  All  were  eager  for  active  service 
and  full  of  enthusiasm.  That  evening  we  were  loaded  in 
freight  cars,  containing  rough  board  seats,  and  after  an  all  night's 
moonlight  ride,  on  the  Northern  Central  Railway,  with  several 
stops,  we  arrived  at  Baltimore,  and  took  breakfast  at  the  Union 
Refreshment  Saloon,  in  said  city.  We  were  then  transferred  to 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  and  proceeded  on  our  way  to 
Washington,  which  place  we  reached  about  noon  of  Sunday, 
August  I7th,  and  reported  to  General  Casey.  We  stacked  arms 
on  Capitol  Hill,  and  were  quartered  for  the  night  in  a  warehouse 
nearby. 

Whilst  we  lay  on  Capitol  Hill,  Honorable  S.  S.  Blair,  of  Hol- 
lidaysburg,  Pa.,  the  representative  in  Congress  from  the  Seven 
teenth  Congressional  District,  composed  of  the  counties  of  Cam 
bria,  Blair,  Huntingdon  and  MirHin,  visited  us,  and  had  words  of 
encouragement  and  cheer  for  all. 

On  the  morning  of  August  i8th,  we  took  up  our  march  for  the 
State  of  Virginia,  and  moved  out  Pennsylvania  Avenue  to  the 
Potomac  River.  We  crossed  the  said  river  on  the  Long  Bridge, 
and  after  marching  into  said  state  a  distance  of  seven  miles,  halted 
and  pitched  our  tents  in  a  field  near  Hunter's  Chapel  and  Fort 
Richardson,  where  the  artillery  of  Blenker's  division  lay  encamped 
the  preceding  winter,  and  were  made  part  of  General  Whipple's 
command,  in  charge  of  the  defences  of  Washington. 

The  camp  we  established  was  named  Camp  Welles,  after 
Gideon  Welles,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  was  soon  filled  with 
other  Pennsylvania  regiments  and  troops  from  different  states. 
Whilst  we  lay  in  this  camp,  drill  and  fatigue  duty  were  constant 
and  arduous,  and  sickness  broke  out  in  the  regiment.  Five  com 
panies  were  sent  to  the  forts  near  us,  to  practice  heavy  artillery, 
and  were  kept  there  for  several  days.  We  remained  in  this  camp 
until  the  evening  of  August  26th,  when  we  moved  to  Fort  Barnard, 
near  by,  and  found  it  a  more  healthy  location.  Here  we  remained 
until  we  started  on  the  Maryland  campaign. 

These  were  gloomy  days  at  Washington,  and  the  following 
brief  review  of  events  will  give  the  cause,  to  wit :  The  separate 
commands  of  Banks,  McDowell,  and  Fremont  were  consolidated 
during  the  month  of  July,  and  placed  under  the  control  of  General 
Pope,  the  consolidated  command  being  known  as  the  Army  of 


42 

Virginia.  In  the  same  month,  Stonewall  Jackson,  of  the  Con 
federate  Army,  was  detached  from  General  Lee,  and  on  the  ipth 
of  the  month  was  at  Gordonsville,  and  Stuart's  cavalry,  at  the 
same  time,  were  near  Fredericksburg.  On  August  9th,  the  Fed 
eral  defeat  at  Cedar  Mountain  occurred.  On  August  I3th,  the 
Confederate  General  Longstreet  was  detached  from  General  Lee, 
and  joined  Stonewall  Jackson  on  the  i5th.  On  August  i6th, 
Harrison's  Landing  was  evacuated  by  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and  said  army  was  transferred  to  Acquia  Creek  Landing,  and 
subsequently  to  Alexandria;  and  Burnside's  command  was 
brought  up  from  North  Carolina. 

General  Pope,  in  his  article  in  the  "  Century  Magazine,"  in 
1886,  on  "  The  Second  Battle  of  Bull  Run,"  says  that  from 
August  1 8th  to  August  26th,  his  army  was  fighting  almost 
continuously.  Reynolds  joined  Pope  on  August  22d,  and  he 
was  also  reinforced  by  General  Reno,  of  Burnside's  command. 
As  fast  as  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  arrived  at  Alexandria, 
it  was  moved  to  the  assistance  of  Pope,  but  much  of  it  did 
not  reach  him  in  time  to  avert  defeat.  On  August  27th,  the 
line  of  the  Rappahannock  river  had  to  be  abandoned,  and  the 
army  moved  to  Gainesville ;  and  on  that  evening  there  was  a  hard 
fight  between  General  Hooker  and  the  Confederate  General 
Ewell,  at  a  place  known  as  Kettle  Run.  On  the  28th  of  August, 
General  King  and  Stonewall  Jackson  fought  at  Groveton,  and  on 
the  29th  and  3<Dth,  there  was  heavy  fighting  all  along  the  line  at 
Groveton,  and  General  Pope  was  obliged  to  fall  back  to  Centre- 
ville.  Then  General  Lee  sent  Stonewall  Jackson  to  the  Little 
River  Turnpike  to  turn  the  right  flank  of  the  Federal  Army,  and 
this  brought  on  the  battle  of  Chantilly,  where  Generals  Kearney 
and  Stevens  were  killed,  and  caused  a  retreat  of  said  army  to  the 
defences  of  Washington. 

This  succession  of  disasters  was  enough  to  cause  gloom  at 
Washington;  and  the  men  of  the  I25th  will  well  recollect  with 
what  anxiety  we  waited  news  from  the  battlefields,  whilst  we 
had  to  listen  to  the  booming  of  cannon  in  the  distance,  and  how 
discouraging  the  news  was  when  we  received  any.  We  will  also 
recollect,  when  we.  saw  reinforcements  going  to  the  front  on 
August  29th,  3Oth  and  3ist,  how  willing  we  were  to  join  them, 
if  our  services  were  required,  and  how  busy  we  were  in  working 
on  fortifications,  arresting  stragglers,  and  in  the  discharge  of 


43 

other  duties  assigned  us,  also  how  sad  we  felt  at  seeing  the 
wounded  brought  to  the  rear. 

The  situation  at  this  time,  causing  the  gloom  if  not  panic  at 
Washington,  is  shown  also  in  the  statement  of  General  McClellan, 
when  he  took  command  of  the  army  on  September  2d.  It  is  as 
follows :  "  The  President  and  General  Halleck  came  to  my 
house,  when  the  President  informed  me  that  Colonel  Kelton  had 
returned  from  the  front ;  that  our  affairs  were  in  bad  condition ; 
that  the  army  was  in  full  retreat  upon  the  defences  of  Washing 
ton ;  the  roads  filled  with  stragglers,  etc.  He  instructed  me  to 
take  steps  at  once  to  stop  and  collect  the  stragglers ;  to  place  the 
works  in  a  proper  state  of  defence,  and  to  go  out  to  meet  and 
take  command  of  the  army,  when  it  approached  the  vicinity  of 
the  works,  then  to  place  the  troops  in  the  best  condition — com 
mitting  everything  to  my  hands." 

During  these  days  of  gloom,  and  especially  the  time  the  regi 
ment  lay  at  Fort  Barnard,  part  of  it  was  engaged  in  connecting 
the  different  forts  near  us  with  a  chain  of  rifle-pits,  part  was  used 
in  the  formation  of  a  line  of  dispatchers  between  the  Arlington 
House  and  General  Cox's  headquarters,  at  Munson's  Hill,  part 
did  picket  duty  at  or  near  Lee's  Mill  and  Bailey's  Cross  Roads ; 
and  Captain  Wallace,  with  a  further  part,  escorted  an  ammuni 
tion  train  to  the  battlefield  of  Chantilly  or  Ox  Hill.  When  not 
so  engaged,  time  was  occupied  in  drill,  in  helping  our  wounded 
to  get  to  Washington,  and  in  stopping  stragglers  from  many  dif 
ferent  organizations. 

On  August  29th,  John  Scott,  Esquire,  of  Huntingdon,  after 
wards  a  United  States  Senator  from  Pennsylvania  and  General 
Solicitor  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  arrived  in  our 
camp,  and  presented  Major  Lawrence  with  a  sword.  Colonel 
Higgins,  at  the  time,  made  a  short  speech  to  the  regiment,  in 
which  he  said,  "  I  do  not  ask  you  to  go,  but  to  come  on."  Major 
Lawrence,  a  few  days  later,  was  thrown  from  his  horse,  at  or 
near  the  Chantilly  battlefield,  and  so  disabled  as  not  to  be  with 
us  until  the  month  of  October  following. 

But  before  proceeding  further  with  the  regiment  and  the 
movements  of  the  Federal  army,  let  us  turn  our  attention  to  what 
the  Confederate  army  was  doing.  General  Lee  was  elated  with 
his  many  successes  recently  achieved,  and  with  having  driven 
both  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  the  Army  of  Virginia  within 


44 

the  defences  of  Washington,  and  concluded  he  would  turn  his 
attention  to  the  upper  Potomac.  He  accordingly  moved  his  army 
in  the  direction  of  Leesburg,  and  on  arriving  there  was  informed 
that  the  Federals  at  Winchester  had  fallen  back  to  Martinsburg 
and  Harper's  Ferry.  He  then  determined  to  enter  Maryland  to 
secure  supplies  and  recruits  for  his  army,  and  relieve  the  people 
of  that  State  from  the  thraldom  in  which  he  supposed  they  were 
held  by  the  North.  In  an  official  report,  made  on  March  6th, 
1863,  that  contained  among  other  matters  his  account  of  the 
Maryland  campaign  of  1862,  he  says ;  "  The  war  was  then  trans 
ferred  from  the  interior  to  the  frontier,  and  the  supplies  of  rich 
and  productive  districts  made  accessible  to  our  army.  To  prolong 
a  state  of  affairs  in  every  way  desirable,  and  not  to  permit  the 
season  for  active  operations  to  pass  without  endeavoring  to  inflict 
further  injury  upon  the  enemy,  the  best  course  appeared  to  be 
the  transfer  of  the  army  into  Maryland."  All  through  the  South 
it  was  believed  the  people  of  Maryland  were  heart  and  soul  with 
the  Confederacy,  and  all  that  was  necessary  to  cause  thousands 
of  Marylanders  to  enter  their  army  and  for  Baltimore  to  bid 
the  army  a  hearty  welcome,  was  for  it  to  come  into  their  state. 
He  crossed  the  Potomac  at  White's  Ford,  about  three  miles 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Monocacy,  on  September  5th,  with  Stone 
wall  Jackson's  command  in  the  lead.  It  is  said,  when  about  the 
middle  of  the  river,  which  at  that  time  was  only  knee  deep,  Gen 
eral  Lee  arose  in  his  saddle  and  took  off  his  hat,  and  the  Con 
federate  bands  then  struck  up  the  tune  of  "  Maryland,  my  Mary 
land,"  and  the  whole  command  joined  in  singing  the  same.  At 
that  time  this  was  the  favorite  hymn  or  song  of  the  South,  and 
it  was  drummed  on  almost  every  piano,  and  sung  throughout  the 
Confederacy.  It  was  written  by  James  R.  Randall,  formerly  a 
Marylander,  but  in  1860-61,  a  professor  in  Poydras  College,  upon 
the  Fausse  Riviere,  of  Louisiana.  It  first  made  its  appearance 
in  a  newspaper  known  as  the  "  New  Orleans  Delta."  Although 
it  is  known  as  a  Confederate  song,  it  is  not  amiss,  as  a  contribution 
to  history,  to  give  it  in  part  here,  and  the  first  and  last  verses  are 
quoted,  as  follows : 

"  The    despot's    heel    is    on    thy    shore, 

Maryland ! 
His  torch  is  at  thy  temple  door, 

Maryland ! 


45 


Avenge  the  patriotic  gore, 

That  flecked  the  streets  of  Baltimore, 

And  be  the  battle  queen  of  yore, 

Maryland,  My  Maryland !" 


"  I  hear  the  distant  thunder  hum, 

Maryland ! 
The   '  Old  Line's '   bugle,  fife  and   drum, 

Maryland ! 

She  is  not  dead,  nor  deaf  nor  dumb ; 
Huzza !   She  spurns  the  Northern  scum, 
She  breathes  !  She  breathes  !  She  '11  come  !  She  '11  come ! 

Maryland,  My  Maryland  !" 

General  Walker  says  he  crossed  the  Potomac  at  Cheek's  Ford, 
about  three  miles  above  White's  Ford,  on  September  7th,  and 
when  any  part  of  the  army  crossed  the  river  it  moved  soon  there 
after  to  Frederick  City.  Stuart's  cavalry  entered  said  city  at  ten 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  September  6th.  General  Lee  arrived 
the  same  day,  and  established  his  headquarters  in  Best's  Grove. 
On  the  day  he  arrived  he  issued  his  address  or  proclamation  to 
the  citizens  of  Maryland,  which  is  published  in  the  Official 
Records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  Series  i,  Vol.  19,  part  2, 
page  60 1. 

His  address  did  not  arouse  or  enthuse  the  Marylanders,  and 
it  brought  very  few  recruits  to  the  Confederate  army. 

Lee  thought  Harper's  Ferry  would  be  evacuated  when  he 
reached  Frederick,  for  the  reason  that  he  would  be  between  it 
and  Washington,  but  when  he  found  out  it  was  still  occupied  by 
the  Federals  he  took  steps  to  seize  it.  On  September  9th,  he  sent 
Stonewall  Jackson  across  the  Potomac  to  first  capture  the  Federal 
outpost  at  Martinsburg,  and  then  move  on  Harper's  Ferry.  This 
was  necessary  to  open  his  line  of  communication  through  the 
valley  of  Virginia.  He  also  ordered  Walker's  division  to  assist  in 
taking  the  place  from  London  Heights,  whilst  Jackson  operated 
against  Bolivar  Heights.  General  McLaws,  about  the  same  time, 
was  directed  to  move  against  Maryland  Heights. 

Lee's  designs  at  this  time  are  given  by  General  Walker  in 
his  article  published  in  the  "  Century  Magazine,"  in  1886.  He  says 
that  General  Lee  sent  for  him,  and  ordered  him  to  destroy  the 
aqueduct  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal,  at  the  mouth  of 


46 

the  Monocacy,  assist  in  the  capture  of  Harper's  Ferry,  rejoin  the 
army  at  Hagerstown,  rest  for  a  few  days,  get  shoes  and  clothing, 
and  collect  stragglers.  They  were  then  to  destroy  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Railroad,  march  to  Harrisburg,  and  destroy  the  railroad 
bridge  on  the  Susquenanna  river  at  Rockville,  five  miles  west  of 
that  place.  Lee  said  to  him,  that  with  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad  in  their  possession  and  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
broken,  the  great  lakes  would  be  the  only  route  left  to  the  west, 
and  he  could  then  turn  his  attention  to  Philadelphia,  Baltimore 
and  Washington. 

Only  part  of  this  programme  was  carried  out.  Jackson,  by 
rapid  marches,  reached  Martinsburg,  and  found  that  on  the  night 
of  September  nth  the  outpost  at  that  place  had  been  withdrawn 
to  Harper's  Ferry.  He  immediately  directed  the  steps  of  his 
command  to  the  latter  place,  which  he  reached  on  September 
I2th.  General  McLaws  got  in  possession  of  Maryland  Heights 
on  September  I3th,  the  evidence  of  which  possession  our  regi 
ment  will  recollect  seeing  when  we  encamped  there  soon  after 
the  battle  of  Antietam.  General  Walker  also  took  possession,  on 
the  same  day,  of  Loudon  Heights,  on  the  eastern  slope  of  which 
we  also  encamped  during  the  following  November. 

With  the  abandonment  of  Maryland  Heights,  and  the  environ 
ment  of  Harper's  Ferry,  its  surrender  was  accomplished  on 
September  I5th,  through  the  incompetency  of  its  commander, 
Colonel  Miles,  who  was  mortally  wounded.  Here  n,ooo  Federal 
troops  laid  down  their  arms,  and  this  part  of  General  Lee's  pro 
gramme,  as  well  as  the  destruction  of  the  canal  aqueduct,  was 
carried  out  to  the  letter ;  but  he  soon  found  out  he  had  other 
matters  to  engage  his  attention,  and  had  to  abandon  the  destruc 
tion  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  and  the  invasion  of 
Pennsylvania. 

This  surrender  of  Harper's  Ferry  has  always  been  regarded 
at  the  North  as  disgraceful,  but  in  this  connection  it  can  be  said, 
with  credit,  that  our  cavalry,  at  that  place,  2,500  strong,  under 
command  of  Colonel  Davis,  refused  to  surrender,  and,  after  escap 
ing  the  Confederate  army,  surrounded  and  captured  General 
Longstreet's  wagon  and  ammunition  train. 

No  sooner  did  the  Confederate  army  cross  into  Maryland  than 
the  Federal  army,  under  General  McClellan,  entered  said  state. 
At  that  time,  it  was  uncertain  what  Lee's  intentions  were,  and 


47 

McClellan  did  not  know  whether  he  proposed  to  capture  Washing 
ton  by  a  flank  movement  down  the  north  bank  of  the  Potomac, 
or  to  move  on  Baltimore,  or  invade  Pennsylvania ;  and  he  said  this 
uncertainty  made  him  resolve  "  to  march  cautiously,  and  advance 
the  army  in  such  order  as  to  keep  Washington  and  Baltimore  con 
tinually  covered,  and  at  the  same  time  to  hold  the  troops  well  in 
hand,  so  as  to  be  able  to  concentrate  and  follow  rapidly  if  the 
enemy  took  the  direction  of  Pennsylvania,  or  to  return  to  the 
defence  of  Washington,  if,  as  was  greatly  feared  by  the  authori 
ties,  the  enemy  should  be  merely  making  a  feint  with  a  small 
force  to  draw  off  our  army,  while  with  their  main  forces  they 
stood  ready  to  seize  the  first  favorable  opportunity  to  attack  the 
Capital." 

To  ascertain  the  intentions  of  the  enemy,  General  McClellan 
sent  the  cavalry  to  the  fords  along  the  Potomac,  and  moved  the 
Second  and  Twelfth  Corps  to  Tenallytown,  and  on  September 
6th  to  Rockville.  The  Ninth  Corps  he  first  moved  to  the  Seventh 
Street  road,  near  Washington,  and  again  on  September  6th,  it 
and  the  First  Corps,  and  Conch's  division,  of  the  Fourth  Corps, 
were  placed  at  Tenallytown. 

When  it  became  known  in  Pennsylvania  that  the  Confederate 
Army  had  entered  Maryland,  the  scare  there  was  as  great  as 
that  which  had  previously  existed  at  Washington,  and  Governor 
Curtin  made  haste  to  call  out  the  militia  of  the  state.  At  the  same 
time,  he  appealed  to  the  general  Government  for  aid.  Volume 
19,  Series  i,  part  2,  of  the  Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  gives  a  full  account  of  the  consternation  that  existed 
at  this  time  in  Pennsylvania,  and  it  is  now  amusing 'to  read  on 
page  269,  of  said  Volume  19,  Series  i,  part  2,  of  the  War  Records, 
Governor  Curtin's  dispatch  of  September  IT,  1862,  for  80,000 
troops,  and  011  page  276,  of  the  same  volume,  President  Lincoln's 
reply.  Quite  a  number  of  militia  regiments  were  placed  on  the 
borders  of  Pennsylvania  whilst  the  Confederate  army  was  in 
Maryland,  and  some  of  them  crossed  over  the  line  into  Maryland, 
but  their  services  were  not  required  to  defeat  Lee,  and  we  recol 
lect  of  seeing  numbers  of  said  regiments  at  Antietam  two  days 
after  the  battle. 

On  the  evening  of  September  6th,  the  regiment  received 
orders  to  report  for  duty  to  General  A.  S.  Williams,  temporarily 
in  command  of  the  Twelfth  Army  Corps,  at  Rockville,  Maryland, 


48 

and  tents  were  at  once  torn  down,  rations  cooked  and  effects 
packed.  We  left  Fort  Barnard  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
crossed  the  Potomac  at  Georgetown,  took  a  road  leading  to  Rock- 
ville,  and  after  marching  about  six  and  one-half  miles  in  the 
state  of  Maryland,  halted  at  two  o'clock  the  next  morning  in  a  large 
clover  field,  where  we  had  our  first  night's  sleep  with  the  starry 
firmament  for  a  covering.  We  reached  Rockville  about  nine  o'clock 
A.  M.,  September  ;th,  and  halted  in  a  grove  adjoining  a  Catholic 
church,  where  we  lay  until  September  8th,  then  moved  a  short 
distance  beyond  Rockville,  and  reported  to  the  Twelfth  Army 
Corps.  We  were  assigned  to  the  First  Brigade,  of  the  First 
Division,  of  said  Corps,  and  the  brigade,  after  this  assignment, 
consisted  of  the  following  regiments,  to  wit :  Tenth  Maine,  5th 
Connecticut,  28th  New  York,  and  46th,  I24th,  I25th  and  I28th 
Pennsylvania.  The  first  four  named  regiments  were  reduced  in 
strength,  by  reason  of  previous  service,  and  losses  sustained  at 
the  late  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain.  The  Brigade  was  commanded 
by  Brigadier-General  S.  W.  Crawford,  the  Division  by  Brigadier- 
General  George  H.  Gordon,  and  the  Corps  by  Brigadier-General 
A.  S.  Williams. 

The  make-up  of  the  Twelfth  Corps  at  this  time  and  during 
the  campaign  in  Maryland  was  as  follows : 

TWELFTH  ARMY  CORPS. 

(1)  Maj.-Gen.   Joseph   K.   F.   Mansfield* 

(2)  Brig-Gen.  Alpheus  S.  Williams 

ESCORT. 

ist  Michigan  Cavalry,  Company  L,  Capt.   Melvin   Brewer. 

FIRST  DIVISION. 

(1)  Brig.-Gen.  Alpheus  S.  Williams 

(2)  Brig.-Gen.  Samuel  W.  Crawford f 

(3)  Brig.-Gen.  George  H.  Gordon 

FIRST  BRIGADE. 

1 i )  Brig.-Gen.  Samuel  W.  Crawford 

(2)  Col.  Joseph  F.  Knipe 


*  Wounded  Sept.  i;th. 
f  Wounded  Sept.  I7th. 


49 

FIRST  BRIGADE. 

%$th  Connecticut,  Capt.  Henry  W.  Daboll. 

loth  Maine,  Col.  George  L.  Beal. 

28th  New  York,  Capt.  Wm.  H.  H.  Mapes. 

4.6th  Pennsylvania,  Col.  Joseph  F.  Knipe,  Lieut.  Col.  James  L. 

Self  ridge. 
1 2 4th  Pennsylvania,   Col.   Joseph   W.   Hawley,f    Maj.    Isaac   L. 

Haldeman. 

I2$th  Pennsylvania,  Col.  Jacob  Higgins. 
I28th  Pennsylvania,  Col.  Samuel  Croasdale,  Lieut. -Col.  Wm.  W. 

Hammersley,  Maj.  Joel  B.  Wanner. 

THIRD  BRIGADE. 

(1)  Brig.-Gen.    George    H.    Gordon. 

(2)  Col.  Thomas  H.  Ruger. 

2jth  Indiana,  Col.  Silas  Colegrove. 
2d  Massachusetts,  Col.  George  L.  Andrews. 
i$th  New  Jersey,  Col.  Ezra  A.  Carman. 
lojth  New  York,  Col.  R.  B.  Van  Valkenburgh. 
§Zouaves  d'Afrique,  Pennsylvania. 

SECOND  DIVISION. 

Brig.-Gen.  George  S.  Greene. 

FIRST  BRIGADE. 

(1)  Lieut. -Col.    Hector    Tyndale.* 

(2)  Maj.  Orrin  J.  Crane. 

$th  Ohio,  Maj.  John  Collins. 

*jth  Ohio,  Maj.  Orrin  J.  Crane,  Capt.  Frederick  A.  Seymour. 

\2$th  Ohio,  Lieut.  Theron  S.  Winship. 

66th  Ohio,  Lieut-Col.  Eugene  Powell. 

28th  Pennsylvania,  Maj.  Ario  Perdee,  Jr. 

SECOND  BRIGADE. 

Col.  Henry  J.  Stainrook. 

$  Detached  Sept.  13th. 

§  No    officers    present.      Enlisted    men    of    company    attached    to    2nd 
Massachusetts. 

*  Mortally  wounded   Sept.   I7th. 
t  Detached   Sept.   Qth 
4 


50 

$d  Maryland,  Lieut.-Col.  Joseph  M.  Sudsburg. 
I02d  New  York,  Lieut.-Col.  James  C.  Lane. 
^.lopth  Pennsylvania,  Capt.  George  E.  Seymour. 
I  nth  Pennsylvania,  Maj.  Thomas  M.  Walker. 

THIRD  BRIGADE. 

(1)  Col.  William  B.  Goodrich.§ 

(2)  Lieut.-Col.  Jonathan  Austin. 

$d  Delaware,  Maj.  Arthur  Maginnis. 
Purnell  Legion,  Maryland,  Lieut.-Col.  Benj.  L.  Simpson. 
6oth  New  York,  Lieut.-Col.  Charles  R.  Brundage. 
j8th  New   York,  Lieut.-Col.  Jonathan  Austin,   Capt.  Henry  R. 
Stagg. 

ARTILLERY. 

Capt.  Clermont  L.  Best. 

Maine  Light,  4th  Battery,  Capt.  O'Neill  W.  Robinson. 
Maine  Light,  6th  Battery,  Capt.  Freeman  McGilvery. 
ist  New  York  Light,  Battery  "  M,"  Capt.  George  W.  Cothran. 
New  York  Light,  loth  Battery,  Capt.  John  T.  Bruen. 
Pennsylvania  Light,  Battery  "  E,>}  Capt.  Joseph  M.  Knap. 
Pennsylvania  Light,  Battery  "  F"  Capt.  Robert  B.  Hampton. 
4th  United  States,  Battery  <c  F,"  Lieut.  Edward  D.  Muhlenberg. 

General  McClellan  moved  the  headquarters  of  the  Federal 
army  to  Rockville,  on  September  7th,  and  during  that  day  and 
the  one  following,  the  roads  were  crowded  with  troops  going 
forward. 

On  September  7th,  the  movement  of  the  army  from  Rockville 
was  commenced  in  three  columns,  designated  the  right  wing, 
centre  and  left  wing.  The  right  wing  consisted  of  the  First  and 
Ninth  Corps,  commanded  by  General  Burnside;  the  centre  con 
sisted  of  the  Second  and  Twelfth  Corps,  commanded  by  General 
Sumner,  whilst  the  left  wing  consisted  of  the  Sixth  Corps  and 
Couch's  division  of  the  Fourth  Corps,  commanded  by  General 
Franklin.  Sykes'  division  of  Regulars,  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  and 
Morrell's  division  of  the  same  Corps,  joined  the  army  later  on. 


§  Killed   Sept.   i;th. 

$  Detached  at  Frederick  Sept.  isth. 


51 

Not  knowing  the  designs  of  the  enemy,  the  army  moved 
cautiously,  as  has  been  previously  stated,  the  initiative  being 
taken  by  the  right  wing;  but  as  the  I25th  regiment  was  connected 
with  the  centre  column,  its  march  alone  to  Frederick  City  will 
be  here  detailed.  On  September  9th,  we  moved  to  Middlebrook ; 
on  September  loth,  we  marched  about  ten  miles,  and  halted  for 
the  night  in  a  chestnut  grove,  on  the  road  leading  to  Mount  Airy ; 
on  September  nth,  we  were  halted,  after  marching  about  one 
mile,  on  a  report  that  Confederate  cavalry  were  a  short  distance 
ahead  of  us.  Towards  evening,  we  moved  two  miles  further, 
and  bivouacked  in  a  field,  near  Damascus.  It  rained  during  the 
night,  and  we  got  very  wet.  On  September  I2th,  we  marched  to 
a  point  near  Ijamsville,  where  we  remained  during  the  night;  on 
September  I3th,  we  crossed  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  at 
Ijamsville.  and  moved  rapidly  in  the  direction  of  Frederick  City. 
Cannonading  was  heard  quite  distinctly,  and  when  we  reached 
the  Monocacy  smoke  of  battle  was  seen.  This  cannonading 
proved  to  be  a  skirmish  between  Federal  cavalry  under  Pleasanton 
and  the  Confederate  cavalry  under  Stuart,  in  the  Catoctin  hills, 
about  three  miles  out  of  Frederick,  and  this  skirmish  General 
Pleasanton  refers  to  in  his  report  of  operations  in  Maryland.  We 
waded  the  Monocacy  on  the  double-quick,  and  reached  Frederick 
City  at  noon,  where  we  halted  in  a  field  on  its  outskirts.  The 
Confederates  had  retired  from  the  city  the  previous  evening. 
General  Burnside  says  he  carried  the  bridge  over  the  Monocacy 
in  the  afternoon  of  September  I2th,  after  slight  resistance,  and 
Cox's  division  at  once  moved  upon  the  city  and  occupied  it,  after 
driving  out  a  small  force  of  the  enemy.  General  Pleasanton  says 
he  entered  the  town  by  the  Urbana  road,  at  5  o'clock  on  the  even 
ing  of  September  I2th,  and  General  Reno,  about  the  same  time, 
entered  it  by  the  New  Market  road. 

The  citizens  of  Frederick  w^ere  not  attracted  by  the  address 
of  General  Lee  nor  inspired  by  the  song  of  "  Maryland,  my  Mary 
land,"  and  soon  showed  us  they  were  true  to  the  Federal  cause. 
None  but  sentiments  of  loyalty  to  the  Union  were  heard,  and  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  floated  from  every  street  of  the  town,  and 
though  stripped  of  provisions  by  the  Confederate  army,  they 
tried  to  supply  our  wants,  and  made  our  brief  stay  with  them  as 
pleasant  as  possible. 

It  is  well  to  note  here,  that  the  roads  on  which  we  had  moved 


52 

and  were  subsequently  to  move,  were  so  blocked  with  the  advance 
of  troops  and  artillery  wagons  that  the  supply  train  could  not  get 
with  us,  and  we  were  obliged  to  subsist  on  what  we  could  secure 
from  houses,  fields  and  orchards  along  the  route.  Green  corn  and 
green  apples  constituted  our  principal  rations  from  September 
loth  to  September  iQth. 

It  was  not  until  the  Federal  Army  reached  Frederick  City 
that  General  McClellan  received  reliable  information  of  the  inten 
tions  of  Lee.  This  was  disclosed  to  him  by  an  order  found  in 
the  camp  of  the  2^th  Indiana  Regiment,  and  known  in  history  as 
the  famous  lost  order.  This  order,  it  is  stated  by  Colonel  Taylor, 
Adjutant-General  of  Lee's  army,  was  sent  to  General  D.  H.  Hill, 
who  was  in  command  of  a  division  which  at  that  time  was  not 
attached  to  either  of  the  two  wings  of  the  Confederate  Army, 
under  the  leadership  of  Stonewall  Jackson  and  Longstreet,  and 
was  carelessly  left  by  some  one  in  Hill's  camp.  A  copy  of  the 
order  was  also  sent  him  by  Stonewall  Jackson,  who  regarded  him 
as  part  of  his  command,  and  this  copy  he  received  and  preserved, 
whilst  the  original  was  lost. 

As  the  27th  Indiana  Regiment  constituted  part  of  the  First 
Division  of  the  Twelfth  Army  Corps,  to  which  the  I25th  Penn 
sylvania  Regiment,  belonged,  it  is  proper  to  give  said  order,  and 
detail  the  circumstances  of  its  finding.  The  order  reads  as 
follows : 

Special  Orders 
No.  191. 

Headquarters,  Army  of  Northern  Virginia, 
September  9,    1862. 

The  army  will  resume  its  march  to-morrow,  taking  the  Hagerstown 
road.  General  Jackson's  command  will  form  the  advance,  and,  after 
passing  Middletown,  with  such  portion  as  he  may  select,  take  the  route 
towards  Sharpsburg,  cross  the  Potomac  at  the  most  convenient  point, 
and  by  Friday  night  take  possession  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad, 
and  capture  such  of  the  enemy  as  may  be  at  Martinsburg,  and  intercept 
such  as  may  attempt  to  escape  from  Harper's  Ferry.  General  Long- 
street's  command  will  pursue  the  same  road  as  far  as  Boonsboro,  where 
it  will  halt  with  the  reserve  supply  and  baggage  trains  of  the  army. 

General  McLaws,  with  his  own  division  and  that  of  General  R.  H. 
Anderson  will  follow  General  Longstreet;  on  reaching  Middletown,  he 
will  take  the  route  to  Harper's  Ferry,  and  by  Friday  morning  possess 
himself  of  the  Maryland  Heights,  and  endeavor  to  capture  the  enemy  at 
Harper's  Ferry  and  vicinity. 


53 

General  Walker,  with  his  division,  after  accomplishing  the  object  in 
which  he  is  now  engaged,  will  cross  the  Potomac  at  Cheek's  Ford,  ascend 
its  right  bank  to  Lovettsville,  take  possession  of  London  Heights,  if  prac 
ticable,  by  Friday  morning,  Keys'  Ford  on  his  left,  and  the  road  between 
the  end  of  the  mountain  and  the  Potomac  on  his  right.  He  will,  as  far 
as  practicable,  cooperate  with  General  McLaws  and  General  Jackson  in 
intercepting  the  retreat  of  the  enemy. 

General  D.  H.  Hill's  division  will  form  the  rear-guard  of  the  army, 
pursuing  the  road  taken  by  the  main  body.  The  reserve  artillery,  ordnance 
and  supply  trains,  &c.,  will  precede  General  Hill. 

General  Stuart  will  detach  a  squadron  of  cavalry  to  accompany  the 
command  of  Generals  Longstreet,  Jackson  and  McLaws,  and  with  the 
main  body  of  the  cavalry  will  cover  the  route  of  the  army  and  bring 
up  all  stragglers  that  may  have  been  left  behind. 

The  commands  of  Generals  Jackson,  McLaws  and  Walker,  after  accom 
plishing  the  objects  for  which  they  have  been  detached,  will  join  the 
main  body  of  the  army  at  Boonsboro'  or  Hagerstown.  Each  regiment  on 
the  march  will  habitually  carry  its  axes  in  the  regimental  ordnance  wagons, 
for  use  of  the  men  at  their  encampments,  to  procure  wood,  &c. 

BY   COMMAND   OF  GENERAL  R.   E.   LEE: 

Major-General  D.  H.  HILL,  R.  H.  CHILTON, 

Commanding   Division.  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

Colonel  Silas  Colegrove,  of  the  27th  Indiana  Regiment,  in  an 
article  published  in  the  "  Century  Magazine  "  in  1886,  says  the 
Twelfth  Corps  reached  Frederick  about  noon  of  September  I3th, 
and  his  regiment  stacked  arms  on  the  same  ground  that  had  been 
occupied  by  Hill's  division  the  previous  evening,  and  soon  after 
halting  the  order  was  brought  to  him  by  First  Sergeant  John  M. 
Bloss,  and  Private  B.  W.  Mitchell,  of  Company  "  B,"  of  the 
regiment,  who  said  they  found  it  in  their  camp,  wrapped  around 
three  cigars.  He  at  once  sent  it  to  the  headquarters  of  General 
Williams,  commanding  the  corps,  and  his  Adjutant-General,  Col 
onel  Pittman,  recognized  the  handwriting  of  R.  H.  Chilton,  who 
signed  the  order,  and  with  which  he  was  familiar,  and  sent  it  to 
General  McClellan. 

This  order  gave  General  McClellan  the  reliable  information 
that  he  says  he  received  on  September  I3th,  of  the  intentions  of 
the  enemy,  and  the  proposed  capture  of  Harper's  Ferry ;  and  in  a 
letter  written  to  General  Franklin  that  evening  he  gave  him  the 
substance  of  the  order  that  had  been  found,  and  told  him  that  his 
signal  officers  reported  to  him  that  the  Confederate  General 


54 

McLaws  was  in  Pleasant  Valley,  and  that  the  firing  heard  showed 
that  Colonel  Miles  still  held  out  at  Harper's  Ferry.  He  also  says 
it  was  then  clear  to  him  that  it  was  necessary  to  force  a  passage 
of  the  South  Mountain  range,  and  gain  possession  of  Boonsboro 
and  Rohrersville  before  relief  could  be  afforded  by  him  to  Har 
per's  Ferry,  or  communication  opened  with  Miles,  as  ordered  by 
General  Halleck  from  Washington  on  September  nth.  He 
accordingly  moved  the  right  wing  of  the  army  to  Middletown 
valley  that  afternoon,  and  prepared  himself  to  move  forward  that 
night  and  the  next  morning  with  the  balance  of  the  army. 

Lee's  army  at  that  time  was  greatly  divided,  but  when  he 
learned  on  the  night  of  September  I3th  that  McClellan  was 
rapidly  approaching  the  South  Mountain  range,  he  at  once 
ordered  back  from  Hagerstown  two  divisions  of  Longstreet  to 
reinforce  Hill,  who  was  then  holding  said  mountain  range. 

General  Cox's  division,  known  as  the  Kanawha  division,  by 
reason  of  its  previous  assignment  to  the  Kanawha  region  in  West 
Virginia,  and  which  was  temporarily  attached  to  the  Ninth  Corps, 
moved  at  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  September  I4th  from  Mid 
dletown  to  the  support  of  the  cavalry  under  General  Pleasanton, 
who  were  then  at  the  foot  of  South  Mountain.  The  Catoctin 
creek  flows  here,  and  here  also  is  the  old  road  over  the  mountain 
on  which  General  Braddock  and  his  principal  aide,  George  Wash 
ington,  marched  in  the  year  1755,  prior  to  the  expedition  against 
Fort  DuQuesne.  Cox  reached  Pleasanton  about  nine  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  and  at  once  proceeded  to  ascend  the  mountain.  His 
division  was  composed  of  six  Ohio  regiments,  in  two  brigades  of 
three  regiments  each,  commanded  respectively  by  Colonels  Scam- 
mon  and  Crook,  and  one  of  these  regiments  (the  23d  Ohio)  had 
among  its  numbers  two  men  who  afterwards  became  Presidents 
of  the  United  States,  viz. :  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  and  William 
McKinley.  In  the  ascent  of  the  mountain,  Cox  moved  by  the  left 
of  the  road,  known  then  and  now  as  the  old  Sharpsburg  or  Brad- 
dock  road,  and  encountering  D.  H.  Hill's  command  at  Fox's  Gap 
brought  on  the  battle  of  South  Mountain.  He  carried  and  held 
the  crest  of  the  mountain  at  this  point  before  the  arrival  of  the 
balance  of  Burnside's  command,  that  had  gone  to  his  assistance 
but  did  not  reach  him  until  after  twelve  o'clock  noon.  Hooker's 
First  Corps,  that  had  moved  from  the  Monocacy  at  daylight,  came 
up  in  the  afternoon,  and  with  the  greater  part  of  the  Ninth  Corps 


55 

under  Reno,  assaulted  the  enemy  at  Turner's  Gap,  one  mile  north 
of  Fox's  Gap,  and  by  the  country  road  known  then  and  now  as 
the  old  Hagerstown  road. 

About  this  time,  Longstreet  reinforced  D.  H.  Hill,  and  Gen 
eral  Franklin,  who  commanded  the  left  wing  of  the  Federal  army, 
arrived  at  Burkitville,  in  rear  of  Crampton's  Gap,  six  miles  below 
Turner's  Gap,  and  moving  forward  to  the  Gap  encountered  Cobb's 
Confederate  brigade,  of  McLaw's  division.  After  a  three  hours' 
contest,  in  which  Cobb  was  assisted  by  Semmes  and  Mahone,  the 
command  of  Franklin  drove  the  enemy  from  the  top  of  the  moun 
tain  at  the  Gap,  and  descended  into  Pleasant  Valley,  within  three 
and  one-half  miles  of  Maryland  Heights;  and  from  here  it  was 
his  intention  to  move  to  the  relief  of  Miles  at  Harper's  Ferry  the 
next  morning. 

The  action  at  Turner's  Gap  was  of  longer  duration  and  more 
stubborn,  and  whilst  it  was  going  on,  the  centre  column,  under 
Sumner,  of  which  the  I25th  Pennsylvania  Regiment  was  a  part, 
was  straining  every  nerve  to  reach  the  scene  of  action  and  take 
part.  We  were  ordered  to  move  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning 
by  the  Shookstown  road,  and  we  did  move  at  that  time,  but  were 
halted  for  two  hours  in  the  streets  of  Frederick  City  to  allow 
other  commands  to  pass,  and  when  we  moved  again  it  was  to  the 
Catoctin  hills,  among  which  we  marched  in  order  to  screen  our 
movement  from  the  enemy.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
whilst  Hooker  and  Reno  were  making  their  fierce  attack  on  Hill 
and  Longstreet,  at  Turner's  Gap,  we  got  into  open  country 
and  could  see  the  South  Mountain  passes,  hear  the  discharge  of 
cannon  and  musketry,  and  notice  that  a  battle  was  raging.  We 
then  moved  more  rapidly,  and  after  crossing  the  Catoctin  creek  at 
night  and  coming  to  the  base  of  the  mountain,  we  passed  ambu 
lances,  with  wounded  men,  going  to  the  rear,  and  one  containing 
the  remains  of  General  Reno,  who  was  killed  that  evening.  The 
fighting  continued  into  the  night,  and  evidences  of  battle  multi 
plied  from  the  number  of  wounded  men  we  passed.  On,  on,  fur 
ther  into  the  night  and  further  up  the  mountain,  we  went,  and 
could  hear  in  the  distance  faint  strains  of  music,  supposed  by 
some  of  our  men  to  come  from  a  Confederate  band.  About  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  a  halt  was  ordered  in  a  field  near  the  vil 
lage  of  Bolivar,  where  the  old  Hagerstown  road  diverges  to  the 
right  and  the  old  Sharpsburg  road  to  the  left.  Here  we  lay  until 


56 

after  daylight.  This  march  from  Frederick  was  the  most  severe 
and  exhausting  of  any  that  we  had  thus  far  had.  At  break  of 
day,  of  September  I5th,  the  pickets  of  General  Burnside  made 
the  discovery  that  the  enemy  had  gone,  and  we  moved  forward 
to  a  stone  wall  in  front,  only  to  find  a  large  number  of  wounded 
Confederates.  A  hasty  survey  of  the  battlefield  showed  that  the 
engagement  the  previous  day  had  been  fierce,  for  the  dead  and 
wounded  of  both  armies  were  thickly  strewn  along  the  roadsides 
and  in  the  adjoining  fields  and  woods,  and  it  also  showed  that 
victory  was  with  the  Federals. 

Franklin's  command,  that  had  gone  into  Pleasant  Valley  the 
previous  evening,  moved  towards  Maryland  Heights,  to  relieve 
General  Miles,  but  when  it  reached  a  point  near  Rohrersville 
Franklin  discovered  that  McLaws  had  six  brigades  stretched 
across  Pleasant  Valley  to  bar  his  further  progress,  and  he  did  not 
deem  it  prudent  to  attack.  Soon  thereafter  news  was  received 
of  the  surrender  of  Harper's  Ferry  by  Miles,  and  General  Frank 
lin  was  ordered  to  remain  where  he  was,  and  watch  the  force  in 
front  of  him,  and  protect  the  Federal  left  and  rear. 

We  will  all  recollect  how  indignant  the  army  was  when  it 
received  the  news  of  the  surrender  of  Harper's  Ferry.  We  got 
a  new  corps  commander  the  morning  of  September  I5th,  in  the 
person  of  General  Mansfield,  and  we  well  remember  how  favorably 
impressed  we  were  with  his  fine  fatherly  appearance  and  with 
the  deep  interest  he  took  in  us. 

General  Williams,  who  had  command  of  the  corps  from  the 
time  of  our  assignment  to  it,  now  took  charge  of  the  first  division 
of  the  corps. 

We  moved  this  morning  at  ten  o'clock,  on  the  Hagerstown 
road,  past  trees  and  ground  torn  and  ploughed  by  yesterday's 
battle.  About  eleven  o'clock,  General  McClellan  rode  past  the 
line  amid  deafening  cheers  from  the  men,  and  soon  thereafter  we 
met  a  flag  of  truce  accompanied  by  a  guard  of  Confederates  in 
search  of  the  body  of  General  Garland,  of  North  Carolina,  who  was 
killed  the  previous  day.  We  reached  Boonsboro  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  and  learned  that  the  Federal  cavalry  had  a  brisk 
skirmish  there  in  the  morning,  in  which  two  hundred  and  fifty 
Confederate  prisoners  were  captured.  Dead  horses  were  lying 
in  the  streets  of  the  town,  the  result  partly  of  the  skirmish  in 
the  morning.  Here  we  left  the  Hagerstown  road  and  moved 


57 

to  the  left,  and  halted  for  the  night  in  a  field  near  Keedysville,  on 
the  heels  of  the  enemy. 

The  Confederate  army  had  taken  position  on  the  heights 
beyond  the  Antietam  creek,  and  as  the  Federal  army  approached,  it 
was  met  by  a  heavy  artillery  fire  from  the  western  bank  of  the 
said  creek,  to  which  Tidball's  and  Pettit's  batteries,  of  Pleasan- 
ton's  command,  replied,  but  on  an  examination  of  the  position 
General  McClellan  determined  it  was  too  late  to  make  an  attack 
that  day,  and  devoted  his  time  to  massing  the  army  and  placing 
batteries  in  position. 

On  the  morning  of  September  i6th,  General  McClellan  dis 
covered  that  the  enemy  was  still  in  position  for  battle,  though  his 
line  had  been  changed  some  during  the  night.  In  his  front,  one 
mile  east  of  Sharpsburg,  he  had  the  Antietam  creek,  which  rises 
north  of  Hagerstown,  and  flows  south  between  high  steep  banks, 
and  empties  into  the  Potomac  three  miles  south  of  Sharpsburg. 
The  ground  west  of  said  creek  is  irregular  and  undulating,  first 
rising  and  then  sloping  towards  the  Potomac,  and  at  that  time  was 
interspersed  with  woods  or  strips  of  timber.  The  Potomac  near 
here  makes  a  number  of  sharp  bends,  which  afford  admirable 
protection  to  the  flanks  of  an  army,  and  Lee  taking  advantage  of 
the  irregularities  in  the  ground  and  the  woods  for  concealing  his 
force,  and  of  the  curves  in  the  Potomac  and  the  steep  banks  of 
the  Antietam  for  the  protection  of  the  flanks  and  front  of  his 
army,  had  arranged  it  for  battle  in  an  angle  formed  by  the  river 
and  creek,  the  line  being  about  three  and  one-half  miles  long. 
The  arrangement  thus  made  covered  the  Shepherdstown  ford  into 
Virginia,  and  the  town  of  Sharpsburg,  where  he  established  his 
headquarters.  A  better  and  stronger  defensive  position  naturally 
than  the  one  selected  by  Lee  could  not  be  found  anywhere  .for  an 
army,  and  in  this  strong  position  he  made  up  his  mind  to  fight 
the  battle  of  Antietam  that  events  had  forced  upon  him,  and 
which  it  is  said  he  could  not  avoid  without  losing  the  prestige 
his  previous  engagements  had  won  for  him. 

McClellan  found  out,  through  the  reconnoissances  he  made, 
that  the  centre  of  the  Confederate  army  was  along  private  roads 
and  through  a  succession  of  fields  extending  towards  the  Antie 
tam  creek ;  that  its  left  was  at  the  cross  roads  on  the  Hagers 
town  turnpike  beyond  the  house  of  David  R.  Miller,  with  a  pro 
tection  of  cavalry  reaching  to  the  Potomac  at  one  of  its  sharp 


MAJOR-GENERAL  GEORGE  B.  MCCLELLAN. 


59 

bends,  and  that  its  right  rested  on  the  Snavely  farm,  south  of 
Sharpsburg. 

A  road  leads  from  Sharpsburg  to  the  Shepherdstown  ford, 
and,  being  in  the  rear  of  the  Confederate  army,  was  easily  kept 
open  and  afforded  a  line  of  retreat  for  the  army,  when  retreat  was 
found  necessary. 

The  Antietam,  near  where  the  army  was  located,  is  crossed 
by  four  stone  bridges,  the  first  or  upper  one,  on  the  road  leading 
from  Keedysville  to  Williamsport,  the  second  one  two  and  one- 
half  miles  below,  on  the  Keedysville  and  Sharpsburg  turnpike, 
the  third  one  mile  below  the  second,  on  the  road  leading  to  Rohr- 
ersville,  and  now  known  as  the  Burnside  bridge,  and  the  fourth 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Antietam  creek,  three  miles  below  the  third, 
on  the  Harper's  Ferry  road;  and  McClellan  found  also,  on  his 
reconnoissances,  that  bridge  number  two  was  near  his  line,  and 
had  to  be  protected  by  him,  and  that  bridge  number  three  was 
strongly  defended  by  the  enemy. 

Stonewall  Jackson,  who  had  been  at  Harper's  Ferry,  rein 
forced  Lee  about  noon  of  September  :6th,  and  took  position  on 
the  left  of  his  line  of  battle;  and  General  Walker  says  he  also 
arrived  with  two  brigades  and  reported  to  Lee  about  the  same 
time,  but  rested  until  daylight  the  next  morning,  and  then  took 
position  on  the  right,  in  support  of  General  Toombs. 

General  McClellan  established  his  headquarters  at  the  Pry 
house,  a  large  brick  building  east  of  the  Antietam  creek,  and 
says  he  spent  the  morning  of  September  i6th  "  in  reconnoitering 
the  new  position  taken  up  by  the  enemy,  examining  the  grounds, 
finding  fords,  clearing  the  approaches,  and  hurrying  up  the 
ammunition  and  supply  trains  which  had  been  delayed  by  the 
rapid  marches  of  the  troops  over  the  few  practicable  approaches 
from  Frederick." 

During  that  forenoon  there  was  an  artillery  duel  between  the 
Washington  Artillery,  of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  stationed  west 
•of  the  Antietam  creek,  and  Federal  batteries  east  of  said  creek, 
which  lasted,  according  to  the  report  of  Colonel  Walton,  of  the 
Washington  Artillery,  forty  minutes,  and  in  which  Major  Arndt, 
of  the  First  New  York  Artillery,  was  mortally  wounded. 

The  1 25th  Pennsylvania  Regiment  was  placed  in  line  of  battle 
several  times  during  the  forenoon,  and  marched  towards  the  front, 
but  orders  for  its  advance  were  countermanded,  and  at  twelve 


60 

o'clock  noon  we  were  moved  to  a  field  in  the  rear,  and  ordered 
to  rest  on  our  arms.  We  had  previously  supposed,  from  the 
double-quick  time  in  which  we  left  our  bivouack  in  the  morning, 
and  the  hurried  orders  to  load,  that  a  battle  was  imminent.  We 
were  ready  for  the  fray,  but  when  the  artillery  duel,  as  afore 
said,  ended,  we  moved  to  the  rear,  and  were  led  to  believe  there 
would  be  nothing  for  us  to  do  that  day,  and  that  we  would  rest 
in  the  field  where  we  then  were  during  the  afternoon  and  night, 
but  in  this  we  were  partially  disappointed,  as  we  shall  see  a  little 
later  on. 

Having  ascertained  the  position  of  the  enemy,  McClellan  at 
once  planned  his  battle,  which  was  to  attack  Lee's  left  with  the 
corps  of  Hooker  and  Mansfield,  supported  by  Sumner  and  Frank 
lin,  whilst  Burnside  attacked  his  right,  and  when  these  movements 
were  successful  the  centre  was  to  be  attacked  with  all  the  avail 
able  forces  at  his  command.  He  accordingly,  at  two  o'clock  that 
afternoon,  ordered  Hooker  to  cross  the  Antietam  at  the  upper 
bridge  and  a  ford  near  by,  with  the  divisions  of  Ricketts,  Meade 
and  Doubleday,  and  attack  and  endeavor  to  turn  the  enemy's 
left.  Hooker  made  ready  to  move  as  ordered,  starting  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  cautiously  feeling  his  way ;  his  lead 
ing  division,  composed  of  the  Pennsylvania  Reserves  under 
Meade,  came  upon  the  enemy  soon  after  sunset  in  a  belt  of  timber 
near  the  house  of  David  R.  Miller,  known  as  the  East  Woods. 
A  sharp  engagement,  lasting  until  dark,  took  place  between 
Hooker  and  Hood's  Confederate  division,  aided  by  two  brigades 
of  Stonewall  Jackson's  command,  in  which  Colonel  McNeill,  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Bucktails,  was  killed.  Firing  ceased  at  night, 
and  the  men  of  both  sides  laid  down  to  rest,  and  so  near  together 
were  they  said  to  be  that  the  pickets  could  hear  each  other  walk. 

A  brief  description  of  the  ground  here  is  necessary  to  an 
understanding  of  the  battle  of  the  next  day. 

To  the  northwest  front  of  the  east  woods  in  which  Hooker 
came  upon  the  enemy  was  the  house  and  orchard  of  David  R. 
Miller.  The  Hagerstown  turnpike,  extending  from  Hagerstown 
to  Sharpsburg,  runs  close  to  said  house,  and  in  a  field  some  dis 
tance  in  front  of  the  house  there  were  then  straw  stacks.  In 
rear  of  the  house  there  was  at  that  time  a  small  cornfield,  and 
further  back,  with  intervening  ground  full  of  irregularities,  such 
as  gullies,  depressions  and  rocks,  there  was  a  woods  known  as 


61 

Sam  Poffenberger's  woods.  To  the  right  of  the  irregular  ground, 
looking  towards  the  Miller  house,  was  the  north  woods,  near 
where  the  left  of  the  Confederate  line  rested.  To  the  left  and 
south  of  the  house  of  David  R.  Miller  was  a  large  cornfield  that 
reached  from  the  east  woods  to  the  Hagerstown  turnpike;  adjoin 
ing  it  on  the  left  and  south  was  a  smaller  field  that  was  harrowed, 
and  which  also  extended  from  the  east  woods  to  the  Hagerstown 
turnpike,  and  adjoining  the  harrowed  field  on  the  left  and  south 
was  a  field  that  had  been  in  clover  but  was  then  partly  ploughed, 
and  it  too  extended  to  the  Hagerstown  turnpike.  The  turnpike 
runs  in  front  of  these  three  fields,  and  beyond  it  was  another 
belt  of  timber  known  as  the  west  woods,  which  was  larger  than 
the  east  woods.  Towards  the  southeastern  edge  of  the  west 
woods,  there  stood  and  still  stands  the  historic  Dunker  church, 
a  small  brick  building  that  in  the  past  had  been  whitewashed  and 
was  first  taken  to  be  a  school  house.  To  the  right  of  the  west 
woods,  in  the  direction  of  the  Nicodemus  farm,  and  near  where 
the  straw  stacks  were  located,  there  was  a  small  woods,  to  which 
no  name  is  given.  Through  the  east  woods,  and  skirting  the 
southeastern  edge  of  the  harrowed  field  and  the  whole  of  the 
field  partly  ploughed  and  partly  in  clover,  the  road,  known  as 
the  Smoketown  road,  runs,  and  terminates  at  the  Hagerstown 
turnpike  opposite  the  Dunker  church.  South  of  the  Smoketown 
road,  after  it  leaves  the  east  woods,  is  the  Mumma  farm,  and 
adjoining  it,  in  the  direction  of  the  Antietam  creek,  is  the  Rou 
lette  farm.  Southeast  of  the  Dunker  church,  towards  Sharps- 
burg,  a  lane,  now  known  as  the  bloody  lane,  leaves  the  Hagers 
town  turnpike  and  connects  with  other  lanes  leading  to  different 
farm  houses,  and  some  distance  in  front  of  this  lane,  in  the  direc 
tion  of  and  near  Sharpsburg,  is  the  Piper  house  and  farm. 

The  ground  of  which  this  rough  description  is  given  was 
where  the  left  and  centre  of  the  Confederate  army  was  found,  and 
it  was  destined  on  the  morrow  to  be  the  scene  of  the  most  sanguin 
ary  single  day's  conflict  of  the  Civil  War. 

About  the  same  time  McClellan  gave  orders  to  General 
Hooker  to  take  his  corps  across  the  Antietam  and  attack  the 
enemy's  left,  he  ordered  General  Sumner  to  have  Mansfield's 
command  follow  Hooker  during  the  night,  and  to  hold  his  own 
corps  ready  to  move  in  the  morning.  At  ten  o'clock  that  night 
the  1 25th  Pennsylvania  Regiment  received  marching  orders,  and 


62 

the  hopes  we  had  entertained  of  having  a  sound  night's  rest 
where  we  then  lay  were  gone.  General  Sumner,  who  commanded 
the  right  wing  of  the  army,  says  the  command  moved  at  11.30 
that  night.  When  we  took  up  our  march,  the  regiment  followed 
the  lead,  in  person,  of  the  corps  commander,  General  Mansfield. 
We  were  ordered  not  to  speak  above  a  whisper  nor  allow  canteens 
to  rattle,  for  the  reason  that  we  were  near  the  enemy's  line.  We 
moved  for  three  miles  in  a  circuitous  direction,  crossing  the 
Antietam  at  the  same  ford,  near  the  upper  bridge,  where  General 
Hooker  had  crossed  in  the  afternoon,  and  halted  in  a  ploughed 
field  on  the  farm  of  George  Lines,  close  to  his  house,  and  about 
one  mile  in  rear  of  General  Hooker's  line.  Here  we  lay  until 
daybreak,  and  here  we  found  a  hospital  had  been  established, 
where  Federal  wounded  in  the  brief  engagement  that  evening 
were  brought,  and  where  the  Twelfth  Corps  commander  breathed 
his  last  the  next  afternoon,  at  four  o'clock.  Soon  after  halting, 
the  body  of  Colonel  McNeill,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Bucktails, 
who  had  been  killed  in  the  evening,  was  borne  past  our  line  to 
the  hospital.  Shortly  afterwards,  comrades  of  the  Regiment  in 
going  to  a  nearby  pump  to  fill  their  canteens  were  stopped  by 
a  guard,  and  informed  they  could  have  no  water,  as  it  was  all 
wanted  for  the  hospital.  The  rest  of  the  corps  was  near  us, 
and  Federal  pickets  were  in  our  immediate  front.  We  slept  but 
little  that  night,  and  knew  from  the  silence  enjoined  and  the  cir 
cumstances  that  surrounded  us  that  a  battle  was  about  to  be 
fought.  Thoughts  of  home  and  of  clear  ones  left  behind  us 
filled  our  minds,  but  the  determination  to  do  our  duty  when 
called  upon  was  not  wanting. 

With  the  first  gray  streaks  of  morning,  battle  in  the  east 
woods  began  between  Hooker  and  Stonewall  Jackson,  the  Penn 
sylvania  Reserves  (the  centre  of  Hooker's  line),  opening  the 
contest,  which  soon  became  general  along  the  whole  line.  To  the 
rieht  of  Meade's  Pennsvlvania  Reserves,  was  the  division  of 

o  ^ 

Doubleday,  partly  astride  the  Hagerstown  turnpike,  north  of  the 
house  of  David  R.  Miller,  and  on  Meade's  left  was  Ricketts' 
division;  and  for  the  possession  of  the  east  woods  and  the  large 
cornfield  in  front  the  contest  was  fierce  and  obstinate  between 
Hooker  and  Jackson. 

The  Twelfth  Corps  moved  towards  the  scene  of  action  at 
daybreak,  and  the  order  to  fall  in  was  at  once  given  the  I25th 


63 

Pennsylvania  Regiment.  The  exact  time  at  which  we  moved  is 
not  stated,  but  no  account  makes  it  earlier  than  5.30  or  later 
than  6.00  A.  M.  The  Sergeant-Major  says  that  we  first  moved 
by  the  flank,  and  then  by  the  front  in  column  by  company  closed 
in  mass.  Colonel  Higgins  says  the  I25th  took  the  lead  of  the 
corps  in  its  advance.  We  moved  as  rapidly  as  circumstances 
would  permit,  through  fields  and  strips  of  timber,  and  this 
movement  appeared  to  be  in  the  shape  of  a  letter  "  Z."  We 
were  perhaps  one  hour  in  reaching  the  battle-field,  owing  to 
numerous  halts  that  were  made.  General  Stuart,  who  was  pro 
tecting  the  Confederate  left,  shelled  the  column  with  his  bat 
teries,  from  the  time  we  started  until  we  reached  the  field,  but 
no  harm  was  done  us.  When  we  arrived  at  Sam  Poffenberger 
woods,  wounded  men  were  fast  coming  to  the  rear.  They 
belonged  principally  to  the  Pennsylvania  Reserves,  and  of  the 
brigade  commanded  by  Colonel  Magilton. 

It  was  understood  that  we  were  ordered  to  the  relief  of 
Ricketts'  division,  and  we  did  finally  relieve  that  division,  but 
the  first  move  we  made  on  the  field  was  more  to  the  right. 
General  Williams  says  the  first  brigade  of  the  first  division  of 
the  Twelfth  Corps  was  ordered  to  deploy  to  the  right,  with  its 
right  regiment  extending  to  the  Hagerstown  turnpike,  and 
Gordon  was  to  hold  the  centre,  whilst  Greene's  division  was 
directed  to  the  ridge  on  the  left.  General  Crawford  says  that 
said  first  brigade  was  on  the  right  of  the  line  in  the  movement 
to  the  front,  and  it  was  not  until  the  third  order  came  that  it  fully 
deployed.  Colonel  Higgins  says,  in  a  letter  to  John  M.  Gould, 
of  the  Tenth  Maine  Regiment,  in  February,  1891,  that  he  moved 
the  regiment  first  towards  the  straw  stacks  on  the  farm  of  David 
R.  Miller,  by  order  of  General  Crawford,  and  then  back  again 
into  a  woods.  These  stacks  were  to  the  right  of  the  line  of 
battle,  and  this  order  of  General  Williams  and  statement  of 
Colonel  Higgins  will  explain  the  zigzag  movements  we  made 
before  reaching  the  east  woods.  It  is  certain  that  we  swept 
through  an  orchard  where  the  artillery  fire  was  very  severe,  and 
that  the  deployment  first  made  in  line  of  battle  was  in  or  close  to 
the  narrow  strip  of  woods  back  of  the  east  woods,  known  as  the 
Sam  Poffenberger  woods. 

On  the  movement  to  the  battlefield,  we  noticed,  to  the  left, 
the  buildings  on  the  Mumma  farm  on  fire.  These  were  set  on  fire 


64 

by  D.  H.  Hill's  men,  and  General  Ripley,  in  his  report  of  the 
battle,  says  they  were  set  on  fire  to  prevent  them  from  being  used 
by  the  Federal  army.  As  the  Twelfth  Corps  approached  the 
field  we  moved  on  the  double-quick,  owing  to  an  urgent  request 
from  General  Hooker  to  hurry  to  his  assistance,  as  all  his  reserves 
were  then  employed.  Hartsuff,  one  of  his  principal  brigadiers, 
had  been  thrown  into  a  breach  to  stay  an  advance  of  the  enemy, 
and  was  wounded.  Men  were  falling  rapidly,  and  sad  and  ghastly 
were  the  sights  that  met  our  view,  only  to  be  multiplied  after 
wards.  Jackson  had  received  assistance  from  D.  H.  Hill's  and 
Swell's  divisions,  and  was  fighting  hard  to  hold  his  ground. 
Subsequently  he  was  reinforced  by  Hood's  division  that  had  been 
relieved  the  night  before  to  prepare  something  to  eat,  and  also 
by  other  commands,  whilst  S.  D.  Lee's  batteries,  of  Stuart's 
cavalry  division,  further  rendered  him  valuable  assistance ;  but 
at  the  same  time  Federal  batteries  east  of  the  Antietam  enfiladed 
his  line  and  did  him  damage.  General  Crawford's  report  states 
that  we  moved  forward  from  the  right  through  woods  and  open 
space,  and  drove  before  us  a  thin  line  of  the  enemy's  skirmishers, 
and  that  "  the  struggle  for  the  skirt  of  woods  to  which  the 
enemy  clung  and  the  open  space  and  cornfields  opposite  and 
along  the  turnpike  on  the  right  was  long  and  determined." 

The  deployment  of  the  I25th  Pennsylvania  Regiment  at  the 
Sam  PofTenberger  woods,  to  the  right  of  the  Smoketown  road, 
was  in  reverse  order,  that  is  the  right  of  the  regiment  was  where 
the  left  should  have  been,  and  in  this  order  we  moved  towards 
the  straw  stacks,  as  aforesaid,  and  east  woods,  with  Company 
"  G  "  in  advance,  as  skirmishers.  When  we  emerged  from  the 
first  woods  we  noticed  a  brigade  re-forming  at  the  small  cornfield 
and  then  moving  to  the  front.  We  soon  came  upon  the  line  of 
the  enemy  that  General  Crawford  mentions,  and  further  on,  a 
distance  perhaps  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  we  were  fired 
upon  by  a  small  regiment,  since  ascertained  to  be  the  Fifth  Texas, 
and  Private  James  Hunter,  of  Company  "  A,"  was  killed.  This 
was  our  first  loss,  and  it  occurred  on  ground  not  far  from  the 
east  woods ;  and  we  are  doubtless  the  strong  Federal  reinforce 
ment  that  Captain  Ike  M.  Turner,  of  the  Fifth  Texas,  mentions 
in  his  report  of  the  battle.  We  all  recollect  distinctly  of  this 
small  regiment  firing  on  us,  and  then  running  back  into  the  east 
woods.  The  regiment  still  moved  on,  as  stated  by  Colonel 


65 

Higgins  in  his  report,  under  a  heavy  fire  of  musketry  and  shot 
and  shell,  and  then  fell  back  a  short  distance,  and  then  again 
moved  forward  until  it  got  a  firm  lodgment  in  the  east  woods. 
In  the  movement  from  the  Sam  Poffenberger  woods,  Colonel 
Hawley,  of  the  I24th  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  says  we  passed 
his  regiment  at  a  gully  in  the  irregular  ground  back  of  the  small 
cornfield  through  which  we  went,  and  General  Knipe  says,  in 
substance,  that  the  brigade  took  position  some  distance  back  in 
the  woods,  to  the  front  of  which  Federal  troops  were  engaging 
the  enemy,  and  that  the  original  intention  was  that  the  I24th, 
1 28th  and  I25th  Pennsylvania  regiments  were  to  move  first  to 
the  front,  but  this  plan  was  not  carried  out. 

No  sooner  had  the  Twelfth  Corps  come  to  the  east  woods, 
says  General  Williams,  than  General  Gibbon  asked  to  have  rein 
forcements  sent  to  his  right,  and  Goodrich's  brigade,  of  Greene's 
division,  was  accordingly  detached  and  sent  to  the  assistance  of 
General  Patrick.  He  also  says  that  the  I24th  Pennsylvania  was 
detached  from  the  first  brigade,  and  sent  to  the  right,  past  the 
house  of  David  R.  Miller.  It  took  position  astride  the  turnpike 
in  the  direction  of  the  stacks,  of  which  previous  reference  has 
been  made.  General  Williams  further  says  that  the  whole  corps 
was  engaged  as  early  as  from  6.30  to  7  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Hooker  had  previously  cleared  the  large  cornfield  of  the 
enemy  by  heavy  discharges  of  canister,  and  had  pushed  his 
columns  on  the  right  across  the  turnpike  towards  the  west  woods, 
but  had  been  driven  back  before  superior  numbers,  and  Ricketts, 
of  his  command,  met  a  similar  fate  on  the  left,  but  held  position 
in  the  edge  of  the  east  woods,  confronted  by  Lawton  and  part 
of  D.  H.  Hill's  division. 

The  enemy  had  again  taken  possession  of  the  large  cornfield, 
and  General  Williams  says,  had  advanced  his  men  to  the  fields 
in  front  of  the  west  woods  along  a  ridge  extending  to  the  house 
of  David  R.  Miller,  and  beyond,  a  distance  not  discernible.  His 
supports  and  reinforcements  were  concealed  in  the  west  woods 
and  in  the  ravines  there  and  in  their  rear.  The  cornfield  in  front 
of  the  east  woods  that  the  enemy  had  taken  possession  of  also 
concealed  his  men  from  our  view. 

The  general  position  of  the  Twelfth  Corps  was  to  the  left 
of  Hooker,  and  the  attack  it  made  was  oblique  to  his  line.     As 
we  approached  the  east  woods,  troops  of  General  Duryea's  com- 
5 


66 

mand  retired,  and  when  we  got  fairly  in  position,  battling,  which 
had  previously  been  severe,  became  terrific,  and  for  the  next 
three  hours  a  rich  harvest  of  death  was  reaped  on  the  right  of 
the  Federal  line.  We  were  exposed  to  a  fire  from  the  enemy's 
batteries  on  the  right,  and  to  an  exceedingly  heavy  fire  of  mus 
ketry  and  artillery  in  front,  and  report  of  the  battle  states  that 
it  was  from  one  and  one-half  to  two  hours  before  the  enemy  was 
fully  driven  back  to  the  west  woods. 

The  brigade  commander  moved  the  brigade  to  which  we  were 
attached  to  the  front  of  the  east  woods,  in  column  of  division,  the 
46th  Pennsylvania  being  on  the  right  and  the  loth  Maine  on  the 
left,  with  the  I25th  and  I28th  Pennsylvania  in  the  rear.  The 
leading  regiments,  46th  Pennsylvania,  loth  Maine  and  28th  New 
York,  opened  fire  on  the  enemy,  says  the  br-igade  commander,  at 
the  large  cornfield,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  their 
front. 

The  1 25th  was  ordered  to  the  large  cornfield,  and  moved  for 
ward,  with  Company  "  G  "  in  its  front  as  skirmishers,  but  after 
nearing  the  position  of  the  three  leading  regiments,  it  was  halted, 
and  the  128th  Pennsylvania,  whom  we  recollect  by  the  white 
haversacks  carried  by  its  men  and  the  shrill  voice  of  its  colonel, 
filed  partly  through  our  line  and  to  its  right,  and  moved  towards 
the  cornfield.  It  took  position  on  the  right  of  the  46th  Pennsyl 
vania,  and  at  once  engaged  the  enemy,  meeting  with  heavy  loss. 
Its  colonel  was  killed  and  lieutenant-colonel  wounded,  and  it 
seemed  to  have  been  thrown  into  confusion.  At  this  time  the 
corps  commander,  General  Mansfield,  rode  forward  to  a  point 
near  where  they  were  engaged,  apparently  to  reconnoitre  or 
watch  the  progress  of  the  engagement,  and  was  mortally  wounded 
by  a  sharpshooter.  This  occurred  to  the  right  front  of  the  I25th 
Pennsylvania  Regiment,  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
we  will  give  the  account  of  it  later. 

General  Williams  then  assumed  command  of  the  corps,  Gen 
eral  Crawford  of  the  division,  and  Colonel  Knipe,  of  the  46th 
Pennsylvania,  of  the  brigade. 

At  this  time,  General  Crawford  found  Gordon's  brigade,  of 
the  division,  battling  hard  on  the  centre  of  the  line  and  meeting 
with  success,  and  Greene's  division,  consisting  of  the  brigades 
of  Stainrook  and  Tyndale,  was  about  to  move  through  the 
east  woods,  to  drive  the  Confederates,  under  General  Colquitt, 


67 

therefrom.  Goodrich's  brigade,  of  said  division,  had  been  sent 
to  the  right,  to  the  assistance  of  General  Patrick,  and  the  I24th 
Pennsylvania  Regiment,  of  the  First  Brigade,  had  also  been  sent 
to  the  right,  and  was  placed  astride  the  Hagerstown  turnpike. 

General  Hooker  notified  Crawford  that  these  woods  must  be 
held  at  all  hazards,  as  otherwise  the  right  of  the  army  would  be 
imperilled.  Very  soon  after  the  wounding  of  General  Mansfield, 
the  1 25th  was  moved  quickly  to  the  rear  and  right,  and  then 
obliquely  to  the  left,  and  then  further  to  the  left  front.  This, 
the  brigade  commander,  General  Knipe,  informed  the  writer,  was 
done  by  order  of  General  Crawford. 

Just  now,  and  soon  afterwards,  the  scenes  of  excitement  and 
sadness  are  almost  beyond  description.  Colonel  H.  Kyd  Doug 
lass,  who  was  an  aide  on  the  staff  of  Stonewall  Jackson,  speaks  of 
the  Twelfth  Corps'  fight,  in  his  article  in  the  "  Century  Maga 
zine,"  in  the  year  1886,  as  follows: 

"  Next  Mansfield  entered  the  fight,  and  beat  with  resistless 
might  on  Jackson's  people.  The  battle  here  grew  angry  and 
bloody,  Starke  was  killed,  Lawton  wounded,  and  nearly  all  their 
general  and  field  officers  had  fallen ;  the  sullen  Confederate  line 
again  fell  back,  killing  Mansfield,  and  wounding  Hooker,  Craw 
ford  and  Hartsuff." 

Stonewall  Jackson,  in  his  report  of  the  battle,  says : 
"  About  sunrise  the  Federal  infantry  advanced  in  heavy  force  to 
the  edge  of  the  woods  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  turnpike,  driv 
ing  in  our  skirmishers.  Batteries  were  opened  in  front  from  the 
woods,  with  shell  and  canister,  and  our  troops  became  exposed  for 
nearly  an  hour  to  a  terrific  storm  of  shell,  canister  and  musketry. 
With  heroic  spirit  our  lines  advanced  to  the  conflict 
and  maintained  their  position  in  the  face  of  superior  numbers,  with 
stubborn  resolution,  sometimes  driving  the  enemy  before  them  and 
sometimes  compelled  to  fall  back  before  their  well-sustained  and 
destructive  fire.  Fresh  troops  from  time  to  time  relieved  the 
enemy's  ranks,  and  the  carnage  on  both  sides  was  terrific.  At 
this  early  hour  General  Starke  was  killed ;  Colonel  Douglass, 
commanding  Lawton's  brigade,  was  killed ;  General  Lawton,  com 
manding  the  division,  and  Colonel  Walker,  commanding  the 
brigade,  were  severely  wounded.  More  than  one-half  of  the 
brigades  of  Lawton  and  Hays  were  either  killed  or  wounded, 
and  more  than  one-third  of  Trimble's,  and  all  the  regimental 


68 

commanders  in  those  brigades,  except  two,  were  killed  or 
wounded.  Thinned  in  their  ranks  and  exhausted  of  their  ammu 
nition,  Jackson's  division,  and  the  brigades  of  Lawton,  Hays  and 
Trimble  retired  to  the  rear,  and  Hood,  of  Longstreet's  command, 
again  took  the  position  from  which  he  had  been  before  relieved." 

The  second  movement  of  the  I25th  to  the  left  front,  after 
the  fatal  wounding  of  General  Mansfield,  brought  us  to  the  edge 
of  the  harrowed  field  south  of  the  large  cornfield.  Here  the 
regiment  righted  itself,  and  here  we  found  some  of  the  9Oth 
Pennsylvania.  In  this  movement  we  captured  a  number  of 
prisoners,  who  had  taken  refuge  behind  rocky  knolls,  but  now 
came  forward  and  surrendered  themselves,  some  with  handker 
chiefs  tied  on  ramrods.  An  iron  gun  battery  was  in  front, 
exchanging  shots  with  a  Confederate  battery  on  the  limestone 
ledge,  to  the  left  front  of  the  Dunker  church.  This  battery  was 
supposed  to  be  Ricketts',  under  command  of  Captain  Matthews, 
but  we  are  now  led  to  believe  it  was  Edgel's  First  New  Hamp 
shire  Battery.  Ricketts'  men  say  their  battery  did  not  get  south 
of  the  great  cornfield.  We  lay  on  our  faces  behind  this  battery, 
as  the  firing  here  was  severe.  At  this  time,  General  Greene  was 
moving  towards  the  burning  buildings  and  the  rest  of  the  corps 
was  fighting  to  the  right,  and  had  succeeded  in  clearing  the  large 
cornfield.  The  next  move  of  the  regiment  was  by  the  flank  to 
the  left,  through  the  harrowed  field,  and  field  partly  ploughed, 
to  the  Smoketown  road.  On  this  move  we  passed  many  dead 
and  wounded  men,  and  previously,  near  the  edge  of  the  east 
woods,  south  of  the  cornfield,  one  of  the  gloves  of  Colonel  H.  B. 
Strong,  of  the  Sixth  Louisiana  Regiment,  was  picked  up  and 
handed  to  Colonel  Higgins  by  Adjutant  Johnston. 

As  we  approached  the  Smoketown  road,  a  brass  gun  battery 
came  out  the  road  and  took  position  on  rising  ground  in  front 
of  us,  and  this  battery  we  were  ordered  to  support.  Company 
"  B  "  was  south  of  said  road,  and  Company  "  G  "  partly  in  the 
road  and  partly,  with  the  rest  of  the  regiment,  in  the  field  that 
had  been  in  clover  but  had  the  portion  of  it  next  the  Hagerstown 
turnpike  ploughed.  This  battery  that  was  supposed  to  be  Battery 
"  B,"  4th  United  States  Artillery,  has  since,  through  the 
Antietam  Battlefield  Commission,  been  definitely  ascertained  to 
be  Captain  Monroe's  First  Rhode  Island  Battery. 

Exceedingly  severe  was  the  enemy's  fire  here,  especially  at 


69 

mounted  officers.  To  protect  ourselves,  we  lay  on  our  faces,  and 
we  persuaded  the  Colonel  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  regiment 
to  dismount,  and  scarcely  had  the  latter  done  so  when  a  shell  tore 
away  the  stirrup  strap  of  the  saddle  on  his  horse,  exploded  and 
disabled  him,  and  caused  the  horse  to  run  away.  About  the  same 
time,  another  shell  went  through  a  horse  of  an  orderly  of  General 
Williams,  then  bounded  over  the  battle  line  and  burrowed  itself 
in  the  ground.  The  horse  that  had  been  hit  pawed  a  furrow  in 
the  ground,  and  laid  down  and  died.  Here  General  Hooker  came 
to  Colonel  Higgins  and  asked  him  if  any  troops  were  in  the  west 
woods,  and  the  Colonel  told  him  none  but  Rebels.  Whilst  the  two 
were  talking  his  (Hooker's)  horse  was  hit  by  a  ball,  to  which 
Ins  attention  was  called,  and  he  quickly  rode  away.  It  is  possible 
that  he  was  wounded  himself  at  this  time,  for  he  says  in  his  report 
that  he  was  not  aware  that  he  had  been  wounded,  and  that  he  had 
to  be  lifted  from  his  saddle  through  weakness  caused  by  loss  of 
blood ;  and  General  Sumner  says  when  he  arrived  on  the  field 
by  himself,  a  surgeon  was  about  to  dress  Hooker's  wound.  Look 
ing  in  front,  musket  balls  were  raising  the  dust  in  the  same 
manner  that  large  drops  of  rain  ripple  a  smooth  surface  of  water, 
and  their  sizzing  and  binging  about  our  ears  was  without  cessa 
tion.  The  Sergeant-Ma j or  of  the  regiment  mentions  the  case 
of  a  member  of  one  of  the  Huntingdon  County  companies  picking 
up  a  bullet  that  had  flattened  itself  on  a  stone  at  his  head  as 
though  struck  with  a  hammer.  At  the  fence  corner,  on  the 
Smoketown  road,  Corporal  John  G.  Christian,  of  Company  "  G," 
was  wounded  by  a  grape  shot,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died 
three  years  later,  and  about  the  same  time  one  of  the  artillerists 
in  front  had  his  leg  severed  below  the  knee  with  a  solid  shot. 
This  battery  of  Captain  Monroe,  to  the  front,  was  silencing  the 
Confederate  battery  on  the  limestone  ledge  near  the  church,  and 
also  paying  attention  to  other  batteries  further  on.  The  coolness 
of  its  commander,  whilst  this  was  going  on,  was  remarkable.  He 
talked  to  Captain  McKeage  as  though  a  perfect  calm  surrounded 
us.  The  Sergeant-Major  also  mentions  an  amusing  incident 
here,  which  is,  that  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy's  heavy  firing,  he 
heard  Calvin  B.  Shearer,  of  Company  "  F,"  sing  out,  "  Here's 
your  Baltimore  Clipper."  Another  incident  that  can  be  men 
tioned  is,  that  a  pup  belonging  to  the  artillerists  in  front,  becom 
ing  frightened,  crept  into  the  shirt  bosom  of  Albert  Robison,  of 


71 

Company  "  G,"  for  protection.  Whilst  at  this  point,  no  Federal 
troops  nearer  than  the  great  cornfield  were  on  our  right,  and 
none  whatever  on  our  left,  and  men  of  Company  "  B  "  reported 
two  mounted  Confederate  officers  reconnoitring  in  the  direction 
of  the  burning  buildings.  Doubtless  General  Greene's  division  of 
the  corps  had  reached  there  by  this  time,  and  was  about  to  engage 
the  enemy. 

As  soon  as  the  fire  of  the  Confederate  battery  near  the  church 
was  silenced,  an  officer,  to  us  unknown,  ordered  the  regiment  into 
the  west  woods,  and  requested  it  to  hold  the  same.  To  the  com 
mand,  "  Forward,"  we  moved  with  spirit  and  rapidity,  driving 
before  us  some  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  troops.  When  we 
came  to  the  Hagerstown  turnpike,  Colonel  Higgins  says,  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Newton,  of  the  Sixth  Georgia  Regiment,  was 
found  in  a  dying  condition.  He  asked  Higgins  for  stimulants  or 
morphine,  and  when  told  he  had  none,  he  said,  "  I  am  shot 
through.  Oh,  my  God,  I  must  die,"  and  turned  over  and  died. 

At  the  eastern  edge  of  the  woods  the  regiment  halted,  and 
Company  "  G  "  was  thrown  forward  as  skirmishers.  At  the  same 
time,  Company  "  B  "  was  sent  to  the  church,  a  short  distance  to 
the  left,  and  on  reaching  the  same  found  it  full  of  wounded  Con 
federates.  An  advance,  following  the  skirmish  line,  was  then 
made,  and  a  halt  ordered  to  examine  the  position  we  were  in.  It 
was  discovered  we  were  far  to  the  front  of  the  Federal  line  and 
without  supports.  Colonel  Higgins  then  ordered  his  brother, 
Lieutenant  Higgins,  of  Company  "B,"  to  take  his  horse  and  ride 
back  and  inform  General  Crawford  of  the  situation,  and  also 
request  him  to  send  us  assistance  at  once,  or  we  would  be  flanked 
by  the  enemy,  who  was  in  force  in  front  and  on  the  right.  The 
skirmishers  were  again  ordered  forward,  and  the  regiment  fol 
lowed  to  an  elevation  of  ground  near  an  outcropping  of  rocks. 
The  skirmishers  continued  their  forward  movement,  to  a  point 
close  to  the  western  edge  of  the  woods,  near  a  rectangular-shaped 
field  on  the  right,  where  Confederate  troops  had  a  hospital,  and 
took  one  prisoner,  a  young  Georgian,  who  seized  and  tried  to  hold 
Private  Reese  Williams,  of  Company  "  G,"  when  we  were  after 
wards  forced  to  retire  from  the  woods.  The  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  troops  that  we  previously  drove  before  us,  sought  refuge 
in  a  ravine  in  the  northwestern  'edge  of  the  woods  and  the  fields 
in  their  rear. 


72 

From  the  ravine  or  hollowed  ground  on  the  right,  the  enemy 
fired  on  the  skirmish  line,  and  wounded  Private  D.  R.  P.  John 
ston.  A  large  column  formed  in  the  field  in  its  front,  and 
advanced  towards  it,  carrying  their  guns  at  a  right  shoulder  shift. 
The  line  did  what  it  could  to  hold  in  check  this  column,  as  well 
as  the  force  on  the  right,  which  was  endeavoring  to  and  did 
finally  connect  with  the  column  moving  towards  it  from  the  field, 
and  some  very  narrow  escapes  were  made  here.  The  skirmishers 
were  now  recalled,  as  was  also  Company  "  B,"  near  the  left-rear 
of  the  church.  The  troops  that  the  skirmish  line  encountered 
were  of  General  Early's  command,  and  of  Stafford  and  Grigsby, 
of  Jackson's  division ;  and  General  Early,  in  his  report,  speaks 
thus  of  the  skirmishers :  "  A  body  of  the  enemy,  perhaps  only 
skirmishers,  had  gotten  into  the  woods  to  the  left,  and  was  firing 
upon  our  men,  being  held  in  check  by  a  scattering  fire."  As  soon 
as  Companies  "  B  "  and  "  G  "  rejoined  the  regiment,  that  had 
fallen  back  a  short  distance,  it  opened  fire  on  the  enemy  moving 
towards  us,  holding  him  at  bay  and  repelling  four  different 
assaults  made  upon  us  with  strong  reinforcements.  Whilst  we 
were  fighting  here,  General  Sumner  rode  forward  and  asked  of 
what  command  we  were,  went  to  our  Colonel,  and  then  rode 
rapidly  back;  and  Colonel  Higgins  says,  in  a  few  minutes,  Gen 
eral  Gorman,  of  Sedgwick's  division,  of  Sumner's  corps,  reported 
to  him  that  his  brigade  was  coming  up,  but  was  some  distance 
back.  Soon  thereafter,  the  34th  New  York  Regiment,  of  Gor 
man's  brigade,  came  up  on  the  double-quick,  and  took  position  to 
our  left  and  rear,  and  at  once  commenced  firing  on  the  enemy, 
with  us. 

It  was  now  nine  o'clock  or  after,  and  General  Walker's  divi 
sion,  that  had  moved  rapidly  from  the  Confederate  right,  had 
arrived  at  the  west  woods,  and  McLaw's  division,  that  was  twenty- 
two  hours  late  in  coming  from  Harper's  Ferry,  reached  the  said 
woods  very  soon  thereafter,  also  one  brigade  of  Anderson's 
division. 

The  different  commands  afore-mentioned,  joining  their  forces 
with  those  we  had  previously  been  contending,  overpowered  and 
compelled  us  to  retire  from  the  woods,  with  heavy  loss,  after  a 
hard  fight  of  one-half  hour,  twenty  minutes  of  which  we  were 
alone,  and  the  only  assistance  we  at  any  time  had  was  from  the 
34th  New  York  Regiment.  The  lines  of  the  united  commands 


73 

that  drove  the  two  regiments  from  the  woods  extended  along 
their  entire  front  and  far  beyond  their  right  and  left  flanks,  and 
in  numbers  said  united  commands  were  superior  to  them  many 
times  over.  The  Battlefield  Commission  say  this  force  con 
sisted  of  Kershaw's  brigade  of  Longstreet's  division,  supported 
by  Walker's  division  and  Early's  brigade,  and  that  after  causing 
the  said  two  regiments  to  retire,  it  wheeled  to  the  left,  supported 
by  the  brigades  of  Semmes,  Anderson  and  Barksdale,  and  part 
of  Jackson's  division,  and  struck  the  left  flank  of  Sedgwick's 
division  and  forced  it  to  retire.  It  is  certain  that  both  regiments 
held  their  positions  in  the  woods  as  long  as  it  was  possible  for 
them  to  do  so  against  the  overwhelming  numbers  hurled  against 
them.  The  men  of  the  I25th  Regiment  unwillingly  retired  from 
the  woods,  at  the  last  moment ;  and  Colonel  Higgins  says  if  we 
had  remained  in  position  two  minutes  longer  we  would  all  have 
been  lost. 

Colonel  Suiter,  of  the  34th  New  York  Regiment,  gives  this 
description  of  the  attack  made  on  the  line  of  the  two  regiments : 

"  Arriving  at  about  twenty  yards  in  rear  of  a  school  house 
(the  Dunker  church),  I  discovered  the  enemy  under  the  hill. 
I  immediately  ordered  my  command  to  fire,  which  they  did  in  gal 
lant  order.  From  some  cause,  to  me  unknown,  I  had  become 
detached  from  my  command,  the  I25th  Regiment  of  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers  being  on  my  right.  On  my  left  and  rear  I  was 
entirely  unsupported  by  infantry  or  artillery.  The  enemy  was  in 
strong  force  at  this  point  and  poured  in  a  tremendous  fire  of  mus 
ketry  and  artillery  upon  me.  At  this  time  I  discovered  the  enemy 
was  making  a  move  to  flank  me  on  the  left. 

"Presently  General  Sedgwick  arrived  upon  the  ground.  Mov 
ing  down  my  line,  he  discovered  the  situation  of  my  command,  and 
that  the  point  could  not  be  held  by  me,  and  gave  the  order  for 
me  to  retire,  which  I  did.  Rallying  my  command,  I  formed  them 
in  line  of  battle,  supporting  a  battery  some  four  hundred  yards 
in  the  rear  of  the  battlefield." 

On  falling  back  to  the  field  partly  ploughed,  through  which 
both  regiments  had  previously  advanced,  the  balance  of  Sedg- 
wick's  division  was  found  coming  up,  and  we  halted  momentarily 
with  them,  but  at  this  time  artillery  officers  rode  amongst  us  and 
asked  us  to  retire  behind  the  line  of  batteries  that  had  been 
formed  to  repel  the  fierce  and  heavy  attack  the  enemy  were  now 


74 

making.  This  we  did,  though  more  or  less  confusion  reigned, 
and  in  this  falling  back  the  Adjutant  and  Acting  Major  of  the 
regiment  was  mortally  wounded.  The  regimental  colors  were 
placed  in  the  rear  of  the  battery  we  had  previously  supported  and 
around  them  we  rallied. 

Sedgwick's  division  was  then  on  the  right  front  of  us,  and 
appeared  to  have  come  from  the  direction  of  the  large  cornfield. 
The  enemy  kept  on  advancing  and  delivering  a  withering  fire  until 
near  the  batteries,  and  our  loss  in  this  field  where  the  batteries 
were  stationed,  and  through  which  we  had  fallen  back,  was 
heavy,  as  was  also  that  of  Sedgwick's  division.  In  the  west 
woods,  the  34th  New  York,  of  this  division,  met  with  greater 
loss  in  proportion  to  numbers  engaged  than  we,  for  the  reason 
that  the  attack  on  the  left  was  stronger  than  on  the  right  and 
they  received  the  full  force  of  the  same,  as  well  as  the  fire  on 
front  directed  against  both  regiments. 

In  -the  retreat  from  the  said  west  woods,  the  regimental  colors 
of  the  1 25th  were  saved  through  bravery  worthy  of  special  men 
tion.  The  color-sergeant,  George  A.  Simpson,  was  shot  and 
instantly  killed  and  five  of  the  color  guard  went  down;  then 
Eugene  Boblitz,  of  Company  "  H,"  rescued  and  carried  them  for 
a  distance,  when  he  was  badly  wounded  and  handed  them  to 
Sergeant  Walter  W.  Greenland,  of  Company  "C,"  afterwards 
Adjutant-General  of  Pennsylvania,  from  whom  Captain  Wallace 
received  them,  and  carried  them  to  the  rear  of  the  battery  which 
we  were  ordered  to  support.  Meanwhile  men  were  falling  thick 
and  fast  as  leaves  in  autumn.  Hospital  Steward  J.  Fletcher  Con 
rad,  before  his  death,  stated  to  the  writer  that  when  attending 
an  encampment  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Columbus, 
Ohio,  a  few  years  since,  he  met  a  Confederate  officer,  who 
detailed  the  circumstances  of  the  carrying  of  the  regimental 
flag  by  Captain  Wallace,  and  said  that  the  Captain  must  have  led  a 
charmed  life,  as  one  hundred  rifles  were  aimed  at  him  without 
effect. 

The  two  regiments  got  behind  the  batteries  none  too  soon, 
for  the  enemy  was  then  almost  at  the  muzzles  of  the  guns ;  but 
suddenly,  not  only  these  batteries  in  our  front,  but  others  to  the 
right  and  left,  commenced  and  continued  a  destructive  fire  which 
caused  the  enemy's  line  to  sway,  totter  and  fall  back  to  the  woods. 

Sedgwick's  line  then  moved  forward  amid  a  heavy  fire,  and 


75 

we  also  moved  towards  the  woods,  but  when  we  came  to  the  bat 
teries,  or  a  few  steps  in  their  front,  it  was  ascertained  we  belonged 
to  the  Twelfth  Corps,  and  we  were  then  ordered  to  retire  to  a 
point  near  the  edge  of  the  east  woods. 

When  Sedgwick  reached  the  west  woods  they  were  a  sheet 
of  flame,  and  the  battle  appeared  to  redouble  itself  in  fury,  and 
he  was  obliged,  after  a  fierce  contest,  to  retire  before  the  superior 
numbers  we  had  previously  encountered,  and  was  wounded  him 
self  in  the  deadly  struggle. 

This  advance  movement  of  the  enemy  reached  on  the  right  a 
point  where  the  second  brigade  of  the  first  division  of  the  Twelfth 
Corps  had  been  battling,  and  General  Crawford  was  wounded  in 
the  thigh  in  rallying  some  troops  here.  On  the  left,  it  reached 
General  Greene's  division,  of  the  Twelfth  Corps,  on  the  Mumma 
farm,  but  was  repelled  by  that  gallant  officer,  who  subsequently 
moved  to  the  Dunker  church  and  obtained  a  lodgment  in  the 
woods  there,  which  he  held  until  near  the  time  General  Frank 
lin's  command  reached  the  field.  General  Kershaw,  of  McLaw's 
division,  claims  that  the  wrest  woods  were  not  occupied  after  the 
1 25th  Regiment  and  Sedgwick's  division  were  driven  therefrom, 
but  General  Greene's  report  shows  that  they  were  at  least  partly 
occupied. 

General  Walker  says  when  he  approached  the  west  woods, 
Hood  and  Early  were  struggling  to  hold  them,  and  General  Ran 
som,  who  commanded  one  of  the  brigades  of  Walker's  division, 
says  he  "  immediately  encountered  the  enemy  in  strong  force 
flushed  with  a  temporary  success.  A  tremendous  fire  was  poured 
into  them,  and  without  a  halt  the  woods  was  cleared  and  the  crest 
next  the  enemy  occupied.  At  this  time  I  determined  to  charge 
across  a  field  in  our  front  and  to  a  woods  beyond  which  was  held 
by  the  enemy,  but  he  again  approached  in  force  to  within  one 
hundred  yards,  when  he  was  met  by  the  same  crushing  fire 
which  had  driven  him  first  from  the  position."  This  report  of 
General  Ransom,  though  overdrawn,  corresponds  more  nearly 
with  the  recollection  of  the  writer  of  the  strong  attack  on  the 
1 25th  Pennsylvania  and  34th  New  York  Regiments,  the  retreat 
of  the  two  regiments  from  the  west  woods,  and  the  subsequent 
advance  of  Sedgwick's  division  than  any  Confederate  report  we 
have  yet  read. 

General  Palfrev,  late  Colonel  of  the  Twentieth  Massachusetts 


76 

Regiment,  in  his  book  styled  "  The  Antietam  and  Fredericks- 
burg,"  gives  an  account  of  the  battle  at  the  point  we  were 
engaged,  and  of  the  advance  of  Sedgwick's  division,  that  does 
injustice  to  the  two  aforementioned  regiments.  We  called 
attention  to  this  at  our  reunion  on  the  battlefield  on  September 
i7th,  1888,  and  as  General  Palfrey  is  now  dead,  it  is  sufficient  to 
say  here  that  the  I25th  Pennsylvania  and  34th  New  York  Regi 
ments  had  been  in  the  west  woods  and  tried  hard  to  hold  them, 
before  the  main  portion  of  Sedgwick's  division  reached  them, 
and  that  these  two  regiments  at  least  were  in  sight  when  he  came 
upon  the  field,  and  could  have  been  found  obeying  orders  to  fall 
behind  the  batteries  and  there  rallying.  In  other  respects,  we 
believe  General  Palfrey's  full  account  of  the  battle  on  the  right, 
on  the  part  of  Sedgwick's  division,  to  be  generally  correct,  and 
we  give  full  praise  to  the  brave  Sedgwick  and  the  men  of  his 
division  for  what  they  did  on  that  eventful  day;  but  the  official 
reports  of  Colonels  Higgins  and  Suiter  and  of  General  Gorman 
will  show  that  we  were  in  the  woods  before  Sedgwick's  division, 
and  only  the  heavy  odds  we  had  to  contend  with  compelled  us  to 
retire,  and  with  their  own  34th  New  York,  we  rallied  behind  the 
batteries  that  for  a  time  drove  back  the  enemy  he  subsequently 
met  in  the  woods. 

French  and  Richardson's  divisions,  of  Simmer's  corps,  having 
crossed  the  Antietam  at  the  same  ford  we  crossed  during  the 
night,  reached  the  field  soon  after  Sedgwick.  French  arrived 
first.  He  bore  to  the  left  of  General  Greene,  of  the  Twelfth 
Corps,  and  engaged  D.  H.  Hill,  on  the  Roulette  farm.  Richard 
son  soon  came  to  his  assistance,  and  the  two  drove  Hill  from 
said  farm.  Hill  then  took  position  at  the  sunken  road  leading 
from  the  Hagerstown  turnpike,  now  known  as  the  bloody  lane, 
and  re-forming  his  lines  awaited  a  further  attack  from  French 
and  Richardson,  which  was  soon  made. 

It  was  now  almost  noon,  and  General  Franklin,  who  had  left 
his  encampment  in  Pleasant  Valley  at  5.30  in  the  morning,  made 
his  appearance  on  the  right,  with  the  divisions  of  Smith  and  Slo- 
cum.  He  had  for  two  days  past  been  halting  near  Rohrersville, 
observing  movements  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  when  he  marched 
for  the  battlefield  he  left  behind  him  Couch's  division  to  watch 
Maryland  Heights.  When  he  reached  the  field  two  of  his 
brigades  charged  past  the  line  we  were  holding,  and  moving  to 


77 

the  left  of  the  Dunker  church,  assisted  French  and  Richardson 
in  their  contest  with  D.  H.  Hill  at  the  bloody  lane.  Here  the 
struggle  was  long,  determined  and  sanguinary,  and  General 
Nathan  Kimball  says  it  was  three  and  one-half  hours  before 
Hill  relinquished  his  hold  on  the  sunken  road  and  was  forced 
back  towards  the  Piper  House.  This  attack  on  Hill  caused  a  sus 
pension  of  hostilities  further  to  the  right. 

R.  H.  Anderson's  division,  of  Longstreet's  command,  now 
reinforced  Hill,  and  against  these  two  forces  Richardson's  and 
part  of  French's  division  fought  hard  for  ground  about  the  Piper 
house,  which  they  gained  but  subsequently  relinquished,  and  at 
a  cornfield  between  the  bloody  lane  and  the  Piper  house  Richard 
son  was  mortally  wounded.  Near  here  the  Confederate  General 
G.  B.  Anderson  was  mortally  wounded,  also  Generals  R.  H. 
Anderson  and  Wright. 

Soon  after  General  Franklin  came  on  the  field,  and  when 
fighting  was  sharp  and  severe  on  the  left,  an  artillery  officer  rode 
up  to  Colonel  Higgins  and  said  to  him :  "  Colonel,  for  God's 
sake,  come  and  save  my  battery.  I  have  no  supports,  and  my 
horses  are  all  shot,  and  I  cannot  get  my  guns  away."  The  posi 
tion  of  the  battery  was  on  the  left  front,  and  the  Colonel,  looking 
ahead,  took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  and,  moving  the  regiment 
forward  on  the  double-quick,  the  enemy  was  driven  away  and  the 
guns  saved.  A  few  minutes  later  General  Franklin  came  to 
Colonel  Higgins,  asked  what  regiment  we  were,  and  said  we  had 
just  got  to  the  battery  in  time  to  save  it  from  capture,  and  that  our 
action  was  right.  He  ordered  him  to  remain  where  he  was,  in 
support  of  batteries,  and  also  to  take  charge  of  the  I24th  Penn 
sylvania  Regiment,  which  was  in  the  east  woods,  near  us,  in 
command  of  its  Major,  its  Colonel  having  been  wounded.  He 
also  told  him  to  say  to  our  Brigade  Commander  "  that  General 
Franklin  had  ordered  him  and  all  would  be  right."  This  battery 
we  thought  to  be  Tompkins'  Rhode  Island  Battery,  but  we  have 
since  learned,  through  the  Antietam  Battlefield  Commission,  it 
was  the  same  one  we  had  supported  before  entering  the  west 
woods,  to  wit:  First  Rhode  Island,  commanded  by  Captain 
Monroe. 

The  hard  fighting  now  and  during  the  afternoon  was  trans 
ferred  to  the  centre  and  left  of  the  line  of  battle,  although  a  heavy 
artillery  fire  was  kept  up  on  the  right  that  lasted  until  after  night. 


78 

North  of  the  Dunker  church,  Stuart,  by  direction  of  Lee, 
attempted  a  flank  movement  on  the  Federal  line,  but  was  driven 
back  by  an  artillery  fire  from  thirty  batteries  directed  upon  him 
by  Doubleday;  and  General  Pleasanton,  who  had  been  guard 
ing  bridge  No.  i  over  the  Antietam,  crossed  the  same  with  a 
force  of  cavalry  and  light  artillery,  and  formed  a  flank  support 
for  General  Richardson  on  his  move  from  the  Roulette  farm  and 
bloody  lane  to  the  Piper  house,  and  he  subsequently  repelled  a 
threatened  attack  on  Hancock,  who  took  command  of  the  division 
after  the  wounding  of  Richardson.  A  battalion  of  regulars  from 
Sykes'  division  was  sent  to  the  assistance  of  Pleasanton,  and 
afterwards  four  other  battalions  were  sent  across  the  creek  to 
assist  in  driving  off  the  enemy's  sharpshooters.  These  regulars 
made  their  way  well  up  the  hill  where  the  National  Cemetery  is 
now  located,  and  rendered  valuable  service. 

The  attack  on  the  left  was  not  made  at  the  same  time  it  was 
on  the  right,  which  General  McClellan  says  he  intended  to  have 
done,  the  difficulty  in  the  way  being  the  delay  in  carrying  bridge 
No.  3  over  the  Antietam,  now  known  as  the  Burnside  bridge, 
that  was  strongly  defended  by  Toombs'  brigade,  of  Long- 
street's  command,  and  a  protection  of  stone  fences,  rifle  pits  and 
breastworks  of  rails.  Two  attempts  to  carry  it  had  been  made 
during  the  forenoon  but  had  failed,  and  several  valuable  officers 
had  been  killed,  among  others  being  Colonel  Kingsbury,  of  the 
nth  Connecticut  Regiment.  It  was  not  until  one  ^o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  that  a  daring  charge  was  made  by  the  5ist  Pennsyl 
vania  Regiment,  Colonel  Hartranft  (afterwards  Governor  of 
Pennsylvania),  and  5ist  New  York  Regiments,  that  the  bridge 
was  carried  and  the  enemy  driven  to  the  heights  beyond. 

This  charge  was  made  at  great  cost  of  life,  and  is  justly  cele 
brated  in  history  as  one  of  the  brilliant  events  of  the  war. 

Other  troops  followed  the  three  regiments  that  stormed  the 
bridge.  Rodman's  division  and  the  brigade  of  Colonel  Scammon 
crossed  the  creek  at  a  ford  below  the  bridge,  under  a  strong  fire 
of  musketry  and  artillery,  and  joined  the  troops  that  crossed  the 
bridge.  The  balance  of  the  Ninth  Corps  was  now  pushed  across 
the  stream,  and  at  three  o'clock  General  Burnside  re-formed  his 
lines,  and,  leaving  Sturgis'  division  in  reserve,  moved  forward 
and  encountered  D.  R.  Jones'  division,  of  Longstreet's  com 
mand,  and,  after  driving  it  before  him  from  field  to  field,  he 


79 

succeeded  in  reaching  the  outskirts  of  Sharpsburg;  but  on  mov 
ing  to  the  heights  on  the  left  of  the  town,  at  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  he  ran  against  the  strong  division  of  A.  P.  Hill, 
that  had  arrived  from  Harper's  Ferry,  having  crossed  the 
Antietam  at  bridge  No.  4,  near  its  mouth.  It  at  once  made 
a  determined  assault  on  the  left  of  Burnside's  line,  which  was 
firmly  met,  and  the  battle  for  a  time  waxed  warm.  In  meeting 
this  attack  of  Hill  a  gap  was  made  between  the  right  and  left  of 
the  line  of  battle,  and  in  moving  up  troops  to  fill  the  same  General 
Rodman  was  killed  and  Harland's  brigade  driven  back,  but 
Scammon  came  to  his  assistance  and  restored  the  line. 

Fresh  troops,  however,  kept  reinforcing  Hill's  line,  and  some 
of  the  ground  gained  by  Burnside  had  to  be  given  up.  It  was 
now  getting  dusk  and  Sturgis'  division  went  forward  to  the 
support  of  the  left  of  the  line  of  battle,  and  after  a  spirited  con 
test  checked  the  enemy  and  held  him  back. 

Night  coming  on,  hostilities  ceased,  and  Antietam,  the  blood 
iest  single  day's  battle  of  the  Civil  War,  was  over. 

Both  armies  rested  where  they  had  fought.  On  the  right,  the 
Federals  occupied  the  east  woods,  and  the  Confederates  the  west 
woods  and  great  cornfield.  On  the  left  the  Federals  occupied 
bridge  No.  3  over  the  Antietam  and  ground  adjacent  thereto, 
and  on  the  centre  the  lines  were  about  as  they  were  in  the  morning. 

In  the  evening  the  I25th  was  relieved  from  support  of  bat 
teries  in  front  of  the  east  woods  by  some  of  General  Franklin's 
command,  and  moved  back  a  short  distance  into  the  said  woods, 
where  it  passed  the  night.  We  had  previously  supposed  it  was 
Couch's  division  that  relieved  us,  but  inquiry  develops  the  fact 
that  none  of  Couch's  force  reached  the  battlefield  until  the  next 
morning,  and  it  was  other  troops  of  General  Franklin's  command 
that  took  the  position  we  had  been  holding. 

The  Federal  army  had  suffered  much  from  straggling  in  the 
campaign  through  which  it  had  just  gone,  owing  to  rapid  marches 
made  and  the  failure  of  the  supply  train  to  keep  up  with  it,  and 
the  i8th  of  September,  General  McClellan  says,  was  "  spent  in 
collecting  the  dispersed,  giving  rest  to  the  fatigued,  removing  the 
wounded,  burying  the  dead,  and  the  necessary  preparations  for  a 
renewal  of  the  battle." 

Both  armies  faced  each  other  all  of  that  day  but  were  inactive, 
and  during  the  implied  truce  that  existed  some  of  the  dead  of  our 


80 

own  regiment  were  buried,  and  several  of  the  wounded  brought 
within  the  Federal  lines.  The  body  of  Color-Sergeant  Simpson 
was  found  by  Private  Robert  Cozzens  and  brought  within  the 
lines  by  him,  Isaiah  Foster,  William  Friedly  and  one  other  person. 
The  regiment  also  moved  to  the  Sam  Poflenberger  woods  in  the 
right  rear.  During  the  night  of  the  i8th,  the  enemy  retreated 
across  the  Potomac  into  Virginia  by  way  of  the  Shepherdstown 
ford,  and  left  the  battlefield  in  possession  of  the  Federal  army. 

All  who  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  field,  on  September 
i Qth,  with  burial  parties  that  were  detailed  from  different  com 
mands,  will  bear  witness  to  the  many  evidences  of  the  desperate 
struggles  made  on  the  I7th.  The  great  cornfield  was  said  to 
contain  a  corpse  for  almost  every  hill  of  corn  in  the  field.  The 
fields  around  and  in  front  of  the  house  of  David  R.  Miller,  and 
beyond  the  Hagerstown  turnpike,  in  the  direction  of  the  Nico- 
demus  farm,  and  the  east  woods  and  small  strip  of  woods  north 
west  of  the  west  woods,  were  covered  with  the  dead.  In  the  har 
rowed  field,  the  field  partly  ploughed,  the  west  woods,  and  every 
where  around  the  Dunker  church,  the  dead  were  thickly  strewn 
at  the  close  of  the  battle,  and  in  places  it  required  care  to  step 
without  treading  on  a  body.  Mingled  with  them  were  many 
dead  horses  and  broken  artillery  wagons.  The  Mumma  farm, 
the  Roulette  farm  and  the  Piper  farm  presented  similar  scenes, 
and  at  the  bloody  lane  the  dead  lay  three  and  four  deep.  The 
left  of  the  line  where  General  Burnside  fought  had  also  its  full 
proportion  of  dead  and  wounded.  Sergeant-Major  Becker  says 
that  he  talked  with  a  Confederate  officer  at  the  truce  line,  on  the 
1 8th,  who  told  him  that  many  of  their  men  were  placed  hors  de 
combat  by  the  sharp  and  effective  fire  of  the  I25th  regiment  in 
the  west  woods. 

The  deadly  nature  of  the  conflict  on  the  ifth  is  best  attested 
by  reports  of  the  battle  made,  and  by  histories  afterwards  written. 

General  Hooker  says  in  his  report: 

"  It  was  never  my  fortune  to   witness  a  more  bloody,   dismal  battle 
field." 

General  Gordon,  who  commanded  the  second  brigade,  of  the 
first  division,  of  the  Twelfth  Corps,  and  who  took  charge  of  the 
division  after  General  Crawford  was  wounded  and  left  the  field, 
says: 


81 

"  From  sunrise  to  sunset,  the  waves  of  battle  ebbed  and  flowed.  Men 
wrestled  with  each  other  in  lines  of  regiments,  brigades  and  divisions, 
while  regiment,  brigade  and  division  faded  away  under  a  terrible  fire, 
leaving  long  lines  of  dead  to  mark  where  stood  the  living.  Fields  of  corn 
were  trampled  into  shreds,  forests  were  battered  and  scattered,  huge 
limbs  sent  crashing  to  the  earth,  rent  by  shell  or  round  shot.  Grape 
and  canister  mingled  their  hissing  screams  in  this  hellish '  carnival, 
yet  within  all  this  and  through  it  all  the  patriots  of  the  North  wrestled 
with  hearts  strong  and  were  unshaken." 

General  Gorman  in  his  report  mentions  the  many  dead  and 
wounded  of  the  enemy  he  passed  in  the  open  field  when  moving 
his  brigade  to  the  west  woods.  William  F.  Fox,  president  of  the 
Society  of  the  Twelfth  Army  Corps,  in  his  work  on  "  Regimental 
Losses  in  the  Civil  War,"  says : 

"Antietam  was  the  bloodiest  battle.  More  men  were  killed  in  that 
one  day  than  on  any  other  one  day  of  the  war.  There  were  greater 
battles  with  greater  loss  ot  life,  but  they  were  not  fought  out  on  one 
day  as  at  Antietam.  At  Gettysburg,  Chancellorsville  and  Spottsylvania, 
the  fighting  covered  three  days  or  more;  at  the  Wilderness,  Cold  Harbor, 
Shiloh,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga  and  Atlanta,  the  losses  were  divided 
between  two  days'  fighting;  but  at  Antietam,  the  bloody  work  commenced 
at  sunrise,  and  by  four  o'clock  that  afternoon  it  was  over." 

And  Richard  Meade  Bache,  in  his  "  Life  of  General  George 
Gordon  Meade,"  when  speaking  of  Antietam,  says : 

"  It  was  a  terribly  bloody  day,  the  bloodiest  single  day  of  any  in  the 
annals  of  the  Civil  War,  the  losses  on  each  side  being  between  fourteen 
and  fifteen  thousand." 

Confederate  accounts  of  this  terrible  conflict  are  as  strong  as 
the  Federal  accounts.  We  have  previously  given  extracts  from 
the  report  of  Stonewall  Jackson  and  from  the  article  in  the 
"  Century  Magazine  "  by  Colonel  H.  Kyd  Douglass,  but  in  addi 
tion  thereto,  General  J.  B.  Hood,  who  wrote  the  book  known  as 
"  Advance  and  Retreat,"  gives  the  part  his  division  took  in  the 
battle,  and,  whilst  we  cannot  agree  with  him  in  his  statement  of 
the  overwhelming  odds  he  had  to  contend  with  and  the  brilliant 
success  that  crowned  his  efforts,  we  think  what  he  says  of  the 
severity  of  the  engagement  confirms  former  accounts.  After 
mentioning  the  fact  that  his  command  had  been  relieved  the 


82 

previous  evening  by  Lawton's,  Hays'  and  Trimble's  brigades,  to 
give  his  men  an  opportunity  to  cook  some  rations  for  themselves, 
he  says  that  soon  after  daybreak  he  was  ordered  to  the  relief  of 
said  three  brigades,  and  that 

"  Not  far  distant  in  our  front  were  drawn  up  in  close  array  heavy 
columns  of  Federal  infantry,  not  less  than  two  corps  were  in  sight  to 
oppose  my  small  command,  numbering  approximately  two  thousand  effec 
tives.  However,  with  the  trusty  Law  on  my  right  in  the  edge  of  the 
woods,  and  the  gallant  Colonel  Wofford  in  command  of  the  Texas 
brigade  on  the  left,  near  the  pike,  we  moved  to  the  assault.  Notwith 
standing  the  overwhelming  odds  of  over  ten  to  one  against  us,  we  drove 
the  enemy  from  the  wood  and  cornfield  back  upon  his  reserves,  and 
forced  him  to  abandon  his  guns  upon  our  left.  This  most  deadly  conflict 
raged  till  our  last  round  of  ammunition  was  expended.  The  first  Texas 
regiment  had  lost  in  the  cornfield  full  two-thirds  of  its  number;  and 
whole  ranks  of  brave  men,  whose  deeds  were  unrecorded  save  in  the 
hearts  of  loved  ones  at  home,  were  mowed  down  in  heaps  to  the  right 
and  left.  Never  before  was  I  so  continuously  troubled  with  fear  that  my 
horse  would  further  injure  some  wounded  soldier  lying  helpless  on  the 
ground  ....  Upon  the  arrival  of  McLaws'  division,  we  marched 
to  the  rear,  renewed  our  supply  of  ammunition  and  returned  to  our 
position  in  the  woods,  near  the  church,  which  ground  we  held  until  a 
late  hour  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  moved  somewhat  further  to  the  right 
and  bivouacked  for  the  night.  With  the  close  of  this  bloody  day  ceased 
the  hardest  fought  battle  of  the  war." 

General  Longstreet,  in  his  book,  bearing  the  title,  "  From 
Manassas  to  Appomattox,"  says : 

"  The  field  lying  along  the  Antietam  and  including  in  its  scope  the  little 
town  of  Sharpsburg  was  destined  to  pass  into  history  as  the  scene  of  the 
bloodiest  single  day's  fighting  of  the  war,  and  that  i;th  of  September 
was  to  become  memorable  as  the  day  of  greatest  carnage  in  the  cam 
paign  between  the  north  and  the  south." 

Longstreet  also  says  in  an  article  he  wrote  for  the  "  Century 
Magazine  "  in  the  year  1885  : 

"  We  were  so  badly  crushed  at  the  close  of  the  day  10,000  fresh 
troops  could  have 'come  in  and  taken  Lee's  army  and  everything  it  had, 
but  McClellan  did  not  know  it,  and  feared  when  Burnside  was  pressed 
back  that  Sharpsburg  was  a  Confederate  victory,  and  that  he  would  have 
to  retire." 


83 

General  McClellan  estimated  the  Confederate  force  opposed 
to  him  at  97,445,  and  fixes  his  own  force  at  87,164.  Lee  esti 
mated  his  strength  at  37,000,  but  Longstreet  says  that  on  Sep 
tember  9th,  the  Confederate  army,  then  at  Frederick,  numbered 
61,000,  and  he  thinks  Lee  had  at  Antietam  41,000  men.  Other 
accounts  make  his  force  actually  engaged  very  nearly  equal  to  that 
of  McClellan.  It  is  conceded  that  the  brunt  of  the  battle  on 
the  Federal  side  was  borne  by  60,000  men,  and  that  the  command 
of  Couch,  and  the  division  of  Humphreys  and  the  division  of 
Morrell,  of  Fitz  John  Porter's  corps,  were  not  at  all  engaged; 
also  that  part  of  Sykes'  division  was  but  slightly  engaged,  and 
not  all  of  Franklin's  corps.  On  the  Confederate  side,  Lee  had 
his  entire  force  in  the  battle,  says  Longstreet,  except  two  brigades 
of  A.  P.  Hill's  division. 

The  Federal  losses  in  the  battle,  by  official  report,  were  2,108 
killed,  9,549  wounded,  and  753  missing,  making  an  aggregate  of 
12,410.  The  Confederate  losses  have  to  be  estimated  for  the 
reason  that  they  are  given  as  a  whole  during  the  Maryland 
campaign.  Longstreet  figures  their  losses  in  battle  during  that 
campaign  at  13,687,  and  says  the  greater  portion  of  them  were  sus 
tained  at  Antietam.  General  McClellan's  report  states  that  2,700 
Confederate  dead  were  counted  and  buried  on  the  battlefield. 
The  "Century  Magazine"  estimates  the  Confederate  loss  at  n,- 
172,  as  follows,  to  wit:  1,512  killed,  7,816  wounded,  and  1,844 
missing,  and  says  that  the  great  majority  of  the  missing  were 
killed.  This  estimate,  added  to  the  Federal  statement,  makes  a  total 
battle  loss  of  23,582.  But  few  prisoners  were  taken,  and  nearly 
all  the  losses  were  in  killed  and  wounded.  Other  accounts  of 
Confederate  losses  vary,  but  none  make  it  less  than  the  "  Century 
Magazine,"  and  it  is  safe  to  say  their  estimate  is  a  very  conserva 
tive  one. 

General  Longstreet,  in  contrasting  Antietam  with  Gettysburg, 
says  2,108  Federals  were  killed  at  Antietam  in  one  day,  as  against 
3,070  at  Gettysburg  in  three  days,  and  that  the  Confederates  had 
a  loss  at  Antietam  close  to  12,000,  whilst  their  killed  and  wounded 
in  the  three  days'  fight  at  Gettysburg  numbered  15,298.  Of  the 
troops  that  Hooker  and  the  troops  of  the  Twelfth  Corps  (of  which 
the  I25th  Pennsylvania  Regiment  was  a  part)  and  Sedgwick 
encountered,  Early's  division  alone,  assisted  by  Armistead's 
brigade,  reports  a  loss  of  1,336  in  the  battle.  Hood's  division 


84 

reports  a  loss  in  the  Maryland  campaign,  sustained  principally  at 
Antietam,  of  963;  Walker's  division  a  loss  of  1,012;  McLaw's 
division  a  loss  of  952*;  Jackson's  division  a  loss  of  1,276;  Evans' 
brigade  a  loss  of  309;  Rodes'  brigade  a  loss  of  479;  Ripley's 
brigade  a  loss  of  347,  and  Colquitt's  brigade  a  loss  of  264.  The 
First  Corps  (Hooker's)  lost  2,590  men,  the  Twelfth  Corps,  1,746 
men,  and  Sedgwick's  division,  2,210  men,  according  to  official 
reports. 

General  McClellan  gives  the  strength  of  the  Twelfth  Corps 
at  10,126,  but  reports  show  this  to  be  a  mistake,  and  it  is  believed 
the  corps  did  not  take  into  action  more  than  8,000  men.  General 
Greene  says  his  three  brigades  had  a  total  effective  force  of  2,504. 
General  Gordon's  strength  was  2,210,  and  best  accounts  agree 
that  Crawford's  brigade  did  not  have  over  3,000  men  in  line.  One 
regiment  of  the  brigade  (Fifth  Connecticut)  was  left  behind  at 
Frederick  City.  Reckoning  2,300  as  the  strength  of  the  three 
new  regiments  (i24th,  I28th  and  I25th  Pennsylvania),  would 
leave  700  for  the  loth  Maine,  28th  New  York  and  46th  Pennsyl 
vania,  which  we  believe  fully  covers  the  force  they  had  engaged. 
The  loth  Maine  was  the  largest  of  the  three  old  regiments  of  the 
brigade,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  28th  New  York  numbered  less 
than  100  men. 

General  Williams  says  the  losses  of  the  corps  (1,746)  equalled 
twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  numbers  engaged.  This  would  make 
an  effective  force  of  7,000,  but  7,500,  or  8,000  at  the  furthest,  is 
thought  to  be  more  nearly  correct.  It  was  composed  of  five 
brigades,  in  two  divisions,  and  was  the  smallest  corps  in  the  army , 
and  its  losses,  in  proportion  to  its  strength,  equalled  the  losses 
of  Hooker's  First  Corps,  composed  of  three  divisions,  that  fought 
on  the  right  of  the  Federal  line,  and  to  whose  assistance  we 
came  on  the  morning  of  the  battle.  General  Gorman  says  he  had 
an  effective  force  of  2,000,  and,  reckoning  the  strength  of  each 
of  the  other  two  brigades  of  Sedgwick's  division  at  the  same  fig 
ures,  the  losses  of  that  division  exceeded  the  losses  in  the  Twelfth 
Corps  by  about  fifteen  per  cent.  The  total  loss  on  the  Federal 
right  was  6,546,  not  including  any  in  Franklin's  command.  Its 
loss  amounted  to  439,  and  part  is  said  to  have  been  sustained  on 


*  Kershaw's  brigade   alone   reports   a  loss   of  355   at  Antietam.     This 
brigade,    the   34th    New    York    and    I25th    Pennsylvania    contended    with. 


85 

the  right.     The  total  Confederate  loss  on  this  part  of  the  field 
was  5,602,  according  to  reports  and  estimates. 

The  1 25th  Pennsylvania  Regiment  moved  to  the  front  so  early 
and  so  hastily  on  the  morning  of  the  I7th  that  it  did  not  have  roll- 
call,  and  the  number  of  men  it  took  into  the  engagement  cannot 
be  definitely  ascertained.  It  had,  by  actual  count,  at  organiza 
tion,  nine  hundred  and  fourteen  officers  and  men.  We  had  a  few 
desertions,  and  left  behind  us  at  Washington  about  sixty  sick  and 
disabled  persons.  Wre  had  perhaps  as  many  more  non-combatants 
and  persons  on  detached  service,  such  as  musicians,  teamsters, 
wagon  guard,  hospital  attendants,  and  attaches  of  the  commis 
sary  and  quartermaster  departments.  We  had  also  many  foot 
sore  and  weary  comrades  who  dropped  out  of  line,  owing  to  the 
severity  of  the  marches  we  made,  and  taking  all  these  matters 
into  consideration,  it  is  doubtful  if  we  left  our  bivouac  on  the 
Lines  farm  with  a  full  seven  hundred  men.  At  one  of  the  brief 
halts  we  made  before  reaching  the  battlefield,  Orderly  Sergeant 
David  E.  McCahan  counted  sixty-five  officers  and  men  in  line  in 
Company  "  G,"  and  as  it  was  one  of  the  large  companies  of  the 
regiment,  it  is  believed  that  very  few,  if  any,  of  the  other  nine 
companies  had  any  more  men  with  them,  and  that  seven  hundred 
is  a  liberal  estimate  of  the  number  of  men  we  had  with  us  on  the 
morning  of  the  engagement.  Colonel  Higgins,  at  our  reunions  in 
1888  and  1891,  also  thought  we  did  not  exceed  and  doubted  if 
we  had  seven  hundred  men  when  we  went  into  battle.  Out  of 
this  number,  we  had  fifty-four  killed  and  mortally  wounded,  and 
ninety-one  severely  wounded,  as  follows : 

Killed  and  mortally  wounded: 

Adjutant  and  Acting  Major  Robert  M.  Johnston. 

COMPANY   "A" 

Corporals  Amon  G.  Edwards  and  Andrew  Woomer.  Privates 
Austin  Crissman,  George  Funk,  James  Hunter,  Erastus  Kinsel, 
Daniel  Shaw  and  Theawalt  Wolf. 

COMPANY  "  B  " 

Privates  Levi  M.  Ewing  and  John  A.  Teats. 


86 

COMPANY    "C" 

Color-Sergeant  George  A.  Simpson.  Corporal  Benj.  F.  Wil 
liams.  Privates  Nicholas  Decker,  Uriah  D.  Hoffman,  David 
Kuhn  and  John  S.  McCoy. 

COMPANY  "  D  " 

Sergeant  John  A.  Kelley.  Privates  Francis  Bowen,  John  A. 
Brown,  Emantiel  Burley,  John  E.  Davis,  Isaac  Markley,  Joseph 
S.  McLaughlin  and  John.  Rose. 

COMPANY   "E" 

Privates  Franklin  S.  Baker,  Adam  Burge  and  John  Lier. 

COMPANY  "  F  " 

Privates  Benj.  Cunningham,  Joseph  McCracken  and  William 
C.  Walker. 

COMPANY  "  G  " 

Corporal  James  H.  Gibboney.  Privates  James  Long  and 
James  D.  Riddle. 

COMPANY  "H" 

Corporals  Peter  Carton  and  James  H.  Dierfield.  Privates 
Samuel  Hess,  Joseph  W.  Hoover,  John  S.  McCarthy  and  Michael 
O'Donnell. 

COMPANY  "  I  " 

Sergeant  Alfred  McAllister.  Corporal  Edward  H.  Wirt. 
Privates  Thomas  H.  Clark,  William  W.  Corbin,  Samuel  B.  Harkin, 
William  M.  Hays,  G.  W.  Householder  and  Joseph  Snyder. 

COMPANY  "  K  " 

Privates  A.  H.  Boartman,  Joshua  Cratin,  Louis  McDermitt, 
Michael  McDermitt,  William  Myers  and  Fred.  C.  Ward. 

Severely  wounded : 

COMPANY  "  A  " 

Lieutenant  W.  F.  Martin,  arm.  Privates  John  Coy,  groin ; 
Charles  Huff,  groin ;  John  W.  Isenberg,  leg ;  George  Vaughn,  leg. 

COMPANY  "  B  " 

Privates  David  R.  Donnelly,  leg ;  George  McGonigal,  thigh ; 


87 

John  E.  Mock,  both  thighs,  very  serious;  Milton  Powell,  hand; 
A.  J.  Simms,  back;  Benj.  F.  Wolfkill,  head. 

COMPANY  "  C  " 

Corporal  J.  Randolph  Simpson,  right  lung.  Privates  M.  B. 
Brenneman,  thigh ;  Henry  Hawn,  ankle ;  Joshua  R.  Knode,  ankle ; 
John  R.  Lefford,  neck;  Alfred  McPherran,  thigh;  Charles  H. 
Reed,  back;  J.  Easton  Robb,  ankle  and  arm;  George  Sprankle, 
foot ;  Elias  A.  Zeek,  arm. 

COMPANY  "  D  " 

Captain  C.  R.  Hostetter,  groin.  Lieutenant  Peter  S.  Treese, 
arm  and  leg.  Sergeant  E.  L.  Russ,  stomach.  Corporal  William 
Burley,  face  and  neck.  Privates  Stephen  Aiken,  face  and  neck; 
W.  B.  Blake,  thigh;  Levi  Burley,  ankle;  Patrick  Haney,  wrist; 
Joseph  Robertson,  hip ;  John  Rollin,  thigh ;  John  Walton,  back ; 
Harvey  Williamson,  hand. 

COMPANY   "E" 

Corporals  Peter  Stroup,  leg;  Wm.  McGinnis,  ear.  Privates 
Jesse  L.  Benton,  arm;  John  Dunlap,  hip  and  thigh;  David  Har- 
klerode,  hip. 

COMPANY  "  F  " 

Captain  William  H.  Simpson,  shoulder.  Lieutenant  William 
C.  Wagner,  hip.  Privates  Charles  Bryan,  wrist ;  David  R.  Short- 
hill,  side ;  William  R.  Strickler,  thigh ;  Elias  H.  Switzer,  breast 
and  hand. 

COMPANY  "  G  " 

Sergeant  David  E.  McCahan,  leg.  Corporal  John  G.  Chris 
tian,  head.  Privates  Albert  Beamer,  arm;  Thomas  Charles,  leg; 
James  M.  Holler,  hip;  James  Johnston,  head  and  breast;  D.  R.  P. 
Johnston,  shoulder;  James  Morrow,  arm;  Joseph  G.  Price,  leg; 
John  E.  Prounkard,  hand ;  Joseph  H.  Reed,  lungs ;  John  Sanders, 
arm ;  H.  Bascom  Sharer,  shoulder  blade. 

COMPANY  "  H  " 

Sergeant  John  W.  Lytle,  leg.  Privates  Eugene  Boblitz,  leg; 
Cyrus  Brindle,  shoulder;  George  Burkholder,  thigh;  Valentine 
Crouse,  hip ;  John  W.  Decker,  breast ;  Levi  Decker,  arm  and 


88 

shoulder;   John  Keifer,   arm;   John   B.    Morrison,   back;   Daniel 
Shawley,  hand ;  James  Snyder,  leg. 

COMPANY  "  I  " 

Lieutenant  George  Thomas,  hip.  Sergeant  Thomas  L.  Hall, 
arm.  Privates  Alfred  F.  Baker,  hand;  Conrad  Garlach,  hand; 
Albert  Hall,  shoulder;  Benj.  Jamison,  thigh;  William  Martin, 
arm;  Solomon  Mick,  thigh;  Frederick  Miller,  leg;  Theodore 
Roupe,  leg ;  John  Seebeck,  leg ;  Isaiah  Shaffer,  thigh  and  breast. 

COMPANY  "  K  " 

Corporal  John  Comorford,  shoulder.  Privates  John  S.  Beals, 
arm ;  William  Beals,  thigh ;  Simon  Bender,  shoulder ;  Charles  Dil 
lon,  shoulder;  Fred.  Hoffman,  side  and  hand;  George  W.  Jones, 
thigh;  P.  F.  Kearney,  thigh;  Samuel  McCleary,  head;  Hiram 
McGuire,  thigh ;  Abraham  Rhodes,  shoulder ;  Robert  Smith,  head. 

There  were  eighty-four  others  slightly  wounded  who  were 
not  obliged  to  leave  the  regiment,  and  for  that  reason  their  names 
were  not  reported,  prominent  among  them  being  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Szink,  who  was  disabled  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell.  Of 
the  other  eighty-three  slightly  wounded,  twelve  were  reported 
from  Company  "  A,"  ten  from  Company  "  B,"  five  from  Company 
"  C,"  eleven  from  Company  "  D,"  nine  from  company  "  E,"  thir 
teen  from  Company  "  F,"  seven  from  Company  "  G,"  six  from 
Company  "  H,"  four  from  Company  "  I,"  and  six  from  Com 
pany  "  K." 

Principal  losses  were  sustained  in  the  west  woods  and  the 
field  partly  ploughed,  through  which  we  advanced  and  were  after 
wards  driven  back. 

By  regiment,  the  loss  in  killed  and  severely  wounded  was 
the  heaviest  of  any  in  the  brigade,  the  third  heaviest  of  any  in 
the  division,  and  the  fourth  heaviest  of  any  in  the  corps ;  and  in 
losses  sustained  by  the  Federal  army,  in  the  battle,  we  stand,  by 
regiment,  No.  23,  with  the  I4th  Connecticut. 

Thirteen  of  the  dead  of  the  regiment  are  reported  to  be  buried 
in  the  Antietam  National  Cemetery,  all  in  the  Pennsylvania  sec 
tion,  to  wit : 

Color-Sergeant,  George  A.  Simpson,  grave  No.  3953 ;  Cor 
poral,  Andrew  Woomer,  grave  No.  3669 ;  Corporal,  James  H.  Gib- 


89 

boney,  grave  No.  3664;  Corporal,  Peter  Carton,  grave  No.  3746; 
Private  James  H.  Dierfield,  grave  No.  3610;  Corporal,  Edward  H. 
Wirt,  grave  No.  3972 ;  Private,  John  A.  Teats,  grave  No.  4043 ; 
Private,  Joseph  S.  McLaughlin,  grave  No.  3823 ;  Private,  John 
Lier,  grave  No.  3634;  Private,  Samuel  Hess,  grave  No.  3609; 
Private,  Thomas  H.  Clark,  grave  No.  3784;  Private,  Joseph 
McCracken,  grave  No.  3608,  and  Private,  Fred.  C.  Ward,  grave 
No.  3749. 

In  this  report  there  is  a  mistake  as  to  Corporals  Andrew 
Woomer  and  James  H.  Gibboney,  for  the  writer  recollects  of 
their  remains  having  been  taken  to  their  homes  for  burial. 

The  balance  of  the  dead  of  the  regiment  were  buried  at  their 
homes  or  in  other  cemeteries. 

Connected  with  the  Twelfth  Army  Corps  were  five  new  regi 
ments,  viz.:  I3th  New  Jersey,  iO7th  New  York,  and  I24th,  I25th 
and  1 28th  Pennsylvania,  and  the  corps  commander,  General  Wil 
liams,  says  of  them,  in  his  report  of  the  battle,  that  "  The  new 
regiments,  both  officers  and  men  of  which  behaved  with  marked 
coolness,  soon  got  into  line  of  battle,  with  more  promptitude  than 
could  have  been  expected." 

Division  Commander,  General  Crawford,  makes  special  men 
tion  of  the  Pennsylvania  regiments,  in  his  report,  by  saying, 
'  The  new  regiments  from  Pennsylvania  moved  with  great 
promptness  and  with  the  coolness  of  old  troops,  although  they 
had  not  before  been  under  fire.  .  .  .  The  I25th  Pennsyl 
vania,  Colonel  Higgins,  in  the  general  movement,  had  pushed  on 
into  the  woods  beyond  our  lines,  and  had  become  seriously 
engaged  with  the  enemy  while  much  exposed,  but  returned  in  good 
order,  with  great  loss,  to  our  lines  .  .  .  but  it  is  my  duty  to 
call  the  special  attention  of  the  corps  commander  to  the  bearing 
and  conduct  of  the  new  regiments  that  had  so  recently  joined  the 
command.  Their  services  in  the  field  were  most  valuable,  and 
considering  the  fact  that  they  were  for  the  first  time  under  fire, 
their  conduct  merits  the  warmest  commendation." 

Colonel  Knipe,  of  the  46th  Pennsylvania,  who  commanded  the 
brigade  after  the  fatal  wounding  of  the  corps  commander,  says 
in  his  report,  when  mentioning  the  movement  of  the  I25th  Regi 
ment  to  the  west  woods,  that  he  was  lying  on  the  ground  to  avoid 
the  artillery  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  "  while  in  this  position,  I 
noticed  the  I25th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  had  advanced  into  the 


90 

field  beyond  our  position,  and  into  the  woods  occupied  by  the 
enemy.  At  the  same  time  a  brigade  came  out  of  them  to  our  rear, 
and,  passing  us,  joined  the  I25th,  and  engaged  the  enemy,  who 
had  been  reinforced  to  such  an  extent  as  to  compel  our  troops  to 
retrace  their  steps." 

Our  Colonel's  report  is  as  follows  : 

Report  of  Colonel  Jacob  Higgins,  One  hundred  and  twenty-fifth  Penn 
sylvania  Infantry,  of  the  battle  of  Antietam. 

Headquarters  One  hundred  and  twenty-fifth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 

Camp  near  Sandy  Hook,  Md.,  September  22,  1862. 

Sir: 

I  have  the  honor  to  report  to  you  the  part  taken  by  my  regiment 
in  the  action  near  Sharpsburg  on  the  lyth  of  September,  1862.  I  was 
ordered  by  General  Crawford  to  advance  in  close  column,  at  daylight, 
through  some  fields  to  a  piece  of  woods  where  there  was  heavy  firing 
at  that  time  going  on.  I  was  then  ordered  into  the  woods  and  then  back 
again  by  General  Crawford,  then  to  throw  out  skirmishers  and  again 
advance  through  the  woods  until  I  reached  the  other  side  of  the 
timber,  and  then  deploy  in  line  of  battle  and  advance  through  the 
fields  and  there  halt.  At  this  place  my  command  was  exposed  to  a  most 
terrific  fire  of  musketry,  shot  and  shell.  I  then  fell  back  a  few  rods,  by 
order  of  General  Crawford,  where  I  remained  some  minutes,  and  was 
again  ordered  forward  to  the  crest  of  a  hill,  which  I  was  to  hold.  At 
this  time  some  colonel,  whose  name  I  do  not  know,  told  me  that  his 
troops  were  falling  back  for  want  of  ammunition,  and  asked  me  to 
advance  to  his  support.  I  immediately  reported  this  to  General  Craw 
ford,  who  ordered  me  to  advance  at  once.  I  gave  the  command  and  my 
men  started  forward  with  a  yell,  driving  the  enemy  before  them  and 
gaining  possession  of  the  woods.  Here  I  took  some  prisoners,  whom  I 
sent  to  the  rear.  Again  I  was  ordered  to  advance  and  halt  in  line  with 
a  battery.  Before  reaching  the  battery,  though,  I  took  a  number  of 
prisoners,  some  of  whom  came  running  back  with  white  handkerchiefs 
tied  on  the  guns  and  gave  themselves  up.  At  the  battery  I  gave  the 
command  for  my  men  to  lie  down  while  awaiting  further  orders. 
About  this  time  the  fire  of  the  enemy  slackened  somewhat,  only  some 
shots  from  their  sharpshooters  being  fired,  and  these  at  mounted  officers 
and  the  artillery  horses.  Previous  to  this  General  Mansfield  fell,  some 
of  my  men  carrying  him  off  the  field  on  their  muskets  until  a  blanket  was 
procured.  General  Hooker  here  came  up  to  me  and  inquired  if  any 
troops  were  in  the  woods  in  front.  I  replied,  "None  but  rebels,"  and 
that  my  command  was  in  the  front.  While  talking  to  me,  his  horse  was 
shot  by  some  of  the  enemy's  sharpshooters.  I  remarked  to  him  that 
his  horse  was  shot.  He  replied  "I  see,"  turned  and  went  away. 
In  a  short  time  I  received  an  order  to  advance  into  the  woods.  I  gave  the 


91 

order,  "  Forward,"  my  regiment  advancing  in  splendid  style,  and  driving 
some  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  troops  back  into  the  woods.  I  halted 
at  the  edge  of  the  woods,  and  ordered  Captain  McKeage,  of  Company 
G,  to  deploy  his  company  as  skirmishers.  This  done,  I  again  advanced 
a  short  distance  in  the  woods,  and  halted  again  to  examine  the  enemy's 
position.  I  found  him  in  force  in  my  front  and  on  my  right.  On  looking 
around  I  discovered  myself  without  support  either  in  my  rear  or  right, 
and,  being  the  only  mounted  officer  present,  I  gave  my  horse  to  Lieutenant 
Higgins,  and  instructed  him  to  ride  back  to  the  general,  inform  him  of 
my  situation,  and  ask  him  to  send  me  support  immediately,  or  I  would  be 
unable  to  hold  my  position,  and  that  the  enemy  would  certainly  flank  me 
and  cut  me  off,  my  command  being  at  this  time  in  advance  of  the  whole 
corps. 

I  now  ordered  Captain  McKeage  to  advance  cautiously  with  his  skir 
mishers,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  regiment  to  advance  to  the  crest  of  a 
small  hill.  My  skirmishers  soon  became  engaged  with  the  enemy,  who 
were  advancing  on  my  front  in  force.  They  continued  to  advance,  when  I 
ordered  my  skirmishers  to  rally,  and  gave  the  command  to  commence 
firing.  A  most  destructive  fire  caused  the  enemy  to  halt.  I  held  him  here 
for  some  time,  until  I  discovered  two  regiments  of  them  moving  around 
my  right,  while  a  brigade  charged  on  my  front.  On  looking  around  and 
finding  no  support  in  sight,  I  was  compelled  to  retire.  Had  I -remained  in 
my  position  two  minutes  longer  I  would  have  lost  my  whole  command. 
I  fell  back  to  the  rear  of  the  first  batteries,  when  an  artillery  officer 
rode  up  to  me,  saying  that  his  battery  was  on  the  left  front  and  entirely 
unsupported,  and  asking  me  if  I  would  support  him.  I  replied  in  the 
affirmative,  and  marched  my  command  to  the  battery  and  took  my  position. 

General  Franklin  now  rode  up,  and  inquiring  what  regiment  this  was, 
I  replied  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-fifth  Pennsylvania,  when  he  said 
my  position  was  right  and  he  was  glad  I  was  there,  and  ordered  me  to 
remain  there,  which  I  did.  I  stayed  here  until,  the  one  hundred  and 
twenty-fourth  Pennsylvania  coming  up,  under  command  of  its  major, 
General  Franklin  ordered  me  to  form  it  in  my  rear  and  take  command 
of  both  regiments. 

My  adjutant,  R.  M.  Johnston,  who  acted  as  major  in  the  absence  of 
Major  Lawrence,  who  had  been  in  the  Georgetown  Hospital  for  some 
time,  fell  mortally  wounded.  His  conduct  on  the  field  during  the  whole 
action  as  most  gallant.  All  my  officers  and  men  behaved  in  splendid 
style,  particularly  Captain  McKeage  and  his  company,  who  acted  as 
.skirmishers  during  the  engagement. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 
JACOB  HIGGINS. 

Colonel  Commanding  the  I25th  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Colonel  J.  F.  Knipe, 

Forty-sixth    Pennsylvania    Volunteers,    Commanding    ist    Brigade,    ist 
Division  Banks'  A.  C. 


92 

At  regimental  reunions  on  the  battlefield  in  1888  and  1891,  we 
found  a  place  marked  in  the  east  woods  by  John  M.  Gould,  late 
Adjutant  of  the  loth  Maine  Regiment,  as  the  spot  where  the 
Twelfth  Corps  Commander,  General  Mansfield,  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  we  also  called  attention  to  his  account  of  the 
wounding  of  General  Mansfield  in  his  history  of  the  1st,  loth 
and  2Qth  Maine  Regiments.  The  place  he  marked  is  more  than 
one  hundred  and  forty  yards  to  the  left  rear  of  the  location 
pointed  out,  when  on  the  field  in  1888  and  1891,  and  which  we 
are  satisfied  is  the  true  location,  and  part  of  the  circumstances 
connected  with  the  wounding  as  given  in  said  history  are  wrong. 
We  were  afterwards  informed  that  Major  Gould  admitted  he 
was  wrong  in  fixing  the  location  of  the  wounding  of  the  Corps 
Commander  too  far  to  the  rear,  but  to  the  surprise  of  the  writer, 
on  visiting  the  battlefield,  on  September  i5th,  1900,  he  found 
the  state  of  Connecticut  had  recently  erected  a  monument  to  the 
memory  of  General  Mansfield  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Smoke- 
town  road,  and  on  one  side  of  the  monument  is  inscribed  the  fol 
lowing  words :  "  The  spot  where  General  Mansfield  fell  is  a  few 
yards  easterly  from  this  monument."  This  fixes  the  place  of  the 
wounding  near  if  not  exactly  at  the  spot  marked  by  Gould,  and 
it  is  more  than  one  hundred  and  forty  yards  to  the  left  rear  of 
what  we  feel  satisfied  is  the  true  location,  as  previously  stated. 
The  writer  was  also  informed  that  Major  Gould  had  delivered 
the  principal  address  at  the  dedication  of  the  monument,  and  that 
he  made  affidavit  that  the  spot  he  marked  was  where  General 
Mansfield  was  wounded. 

To  place  ourselves  right  before  the  public,  we  say  there  are 
yet  surviving  members  of  the  I25th  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers  who  witnessed  the  wounding  of  General  Mansfield, 
and  who  command  the  respect  of  the  community  in  which  they 
reside,  and  whose  oaths  are  entitled  to  as  much  weight  and  con 
sideration  as  the  oath  of  Major  Gould,  that  can  and  will,  if  neces 
sary,  make  affidavit  that  General  Mansfield  was  mortally  wounded 
at  least  one  hundred  and  forty  yards  to  the  right  front  of  the 
monument  recently  erected  to  his  memory  by  the  state  of  Con 
necticut  on  the  Antietam  battlefield,  and  when  wounded  was 
first  assisted  by  men  of  the  I25th  Pennsylvania  Regiment;  and 
that  the  impartial  reader  can  have  both  sides  of  the  story  of  the 
said  wounding,  we  give  Major  Gould's  account,  as  taken  from 


93 

his  history,  and  then  what  reports  show  and  others  say,  also  the 
statement  we  give. 

Gould's  history  says : 

"  The  Confederate  force  in  our  front  showed  no  colors.  They  appeared 
to  be  somewhat  detached  from  and  in  advance  of  the  main  rebel  line, 
and  were  about  where  the  left  of  General  Duryea's  brigade  might  be  sup 
posed  to  have  retreated.  To  General  Mansfield  we  appeared  to  be  firing 
into  Duryea's  troops ;  therefore  he  beckoned  us  to  cease  firing,  and  as  this 
was  the  very  last  thing  we  proposed  to  do,  the  few  who  saw  him  did  not 
understand  what  his  motions  meant,  and  so  no  attention  was  paid  to 
him.  He  now  rode  down  the  hill  from  the  I28th  Pennsylvania,  and  passing 
quickly  through  H,  A,  K,  E,  I,  G  and  D,  of  the  loth  Maine,  ordered  them 
to  cease  firing.  He  halted  in  front  of  C,  at  the  earnest  remonstrance 
of  Captain  Jordan  and  Sergeant  Burnham,  who  asked  him  to  see  the 
gray  coats  of  the  enemy,  and  pointed  out  particular  men  who  were  then 
aiming  their  rifles  at  us  and  at  him.  The  general  was  convinced,  and 
remarked :  "  Yes,  yes,  you  are  right,"  and  was  almost  instantly  hit.  He 
turned  and  attempted  to  put  his  horse  over  the  rails,  but  the  animal 
had  also  been  severely  wounded  and  could  not  get  over.  Thereupon,  the 
General  dismounted,  and  a  gust  of  wind  blowing  open  his  coat,  we  saw 
that  he  was  wounded  in  the  body.  Sergeant  Joe  Merritt,  Storer  Knight 
and  I  took  the  General  to  the  rear,  assisted  for  a  while  by  a  negro  cook 
from  Hooker's  corps.  We  put  the  General  into  an  ambulance  in  the  woods 
in  front  of  which  we  had  deployed,  and  noticed  that  General  Gordon  was 
just  at  that  moment  putting  the  io7th  New  York  in  their  front." 

Major  Gould  also  says  that  the  uniform  of  the  enemy  in  their 
front  was  of  a  greenish  color,  which  led  General  Mansfield  to 
believe  it  was  our  own  men  they  were  firing  into,  and  he  speaks 
somewhere  in  history  or  correspondence  of  a  pair  of  bars  in  a 
fence  near  by. 

Colonel  Higgins,  after  mentioning,  in  his  report  of  the  battle, 
the  movement  of  the  I25th  Regiment  to  the  battery  on  the  Smoke- 
town  road  that  we  supported  before  advancing  to  the  west  woods, 
says,  "  Previous  to  this,  General  Mansfield  fell,  some  of  my  men 
carrying  him  off  the  field  on  their  muskets  until  a  blanket  was 
procured." 

Reports  show  and  it  is  generally  admitted  that  the  principal 
force  of  the  enemy  that  the  first  brigade  of  the  first  division  of  the 
Twelfth  Corps  had  to  contend  with  after  they  entered  the  east 
woods  was  either  very  near  or  at  the  great  cornfield,  and  Major 
Gould,  in  his  pamphlet  on  "  General  Mansfield  at  Antietam,"  says 
a  few  men  only  of  the  enemy  were  east  of  the  Smoketown  road, 


94 

and  yet  this  is  the  location  at  which  he  says  Mansfield  was 
wounded.  We  all  know  that  as  the  regiment  approached  the 
east  woods,  the  enemy  appeared  to  retreat,  first  firing  a  volley 
that  killed  Hunter,  of  Company  "  A,"  and  we  also  know  that  the 
corps  commander  was  not  wounded  until  after  the  I28th  Penn 
sylvania  regiment  had  become  engaged  at  or  near  the  cornfield. 
General  Knipe,  brigade  commander,  says  the  brigade  took  position 
"  in  rear  of  the  woods,  the  other  side  of  which  our  troops  were 
engaged,"  and  the  46th  Pennsylvania,  28th  New  York  and  loth 
Maine  Regiments  opened  fire  separately  on  the  enemy  at  the 
cornfield  in  front  of  the  brigade,  and  the  46th  Pennsylvania  was 
on  the  right  and  the  loth  Maine  on  the  left.  The  location  of  the 
28th  New  York,  which  had  but  sixty  men  engaged,  is  not  given. 
Knipe  also  says  the  three  regiments  were  the  first  of  the  brigade 
that  were  engaged,  and  the  I28th  Pennsylvania  came  up  and  took 
position  to  the  right  of  the  46th.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Selfridge, 
of  the  46th  Pennsylvania,  says  the  enemy  were  in  the  cornfield 
fronting  the  woods,  and  his  regiment  advanced  to  the  edge  of 
the  cornfield,  and  Colonel  Croasdale,  of  the  I28th  Pennsylvania, 
was  killed  as  soon  as  he  arrived  on  the  field,  and  thereafter  these 
two  regiments  and  others  drove  the  enemy  out  of  the  cornfield. 
Major  Wanner,  of  the  I28th  Pennsylvania,  says  the  enemy  were 
concealed  in  the  cornfield  about  sixty  or  seventy  yards  distant, 
and  after  the  death  of  Croasdale  the  regiment  charged  into  the 
cornfield.  General  Crawford,  division  commander,  says  Colonel 
Croasdale,  of  the  I28th  Pennsylvania,  was  killed  in  the  struggle 
for  the  cornfield.  Major  Gould  also  says,  in  his  history,  that 
Mansfield  rode  down  from  the  I28th  Pennsylvania  before  reach 
ing  their  line,  and  was  wounded  at  "  C  "  Company,  of  the  loth 
Maine  Regiment. 

All  these  reports  made  soon  after  the  battle  show  that  the 
enemy  the  different  regiments  had  at  that  time  to  contend  with 
were  at  the  cornfield  or  in  close  proximity  to  the  same,  and  as 
the  cornfield  was  two  hundred  or  more  yards  in  front  of  the  spot 
marked  by  Major  Gould,  it  is  difficult  to  see,  with  the  protection 
of  fence  and  timber,  how  an  enemy  at  that  distance  could  see  to 
pick  off  an  officer,  or  how  greenish  colored  uniforms  could  be 
distinguished. 

The  writer  recollects  distinctly  that  the  I25th  Pennsylvania 
was  first  ordered  to  the  assistance  of  the  three  old  regiments  of 


95 

the  brigade  that  were  engaged  close  to  the  cornfield,  and  after 
moving  forward,  west  of  the  Smoketown  road,  to  a  point  near 
their  lines,  with  Company  "  G "  in  advance,  as  skirmishers,  it 
was  halted,  and  then  the  I28th  Pennsylvania,  with  their  white 
haversacks,  filed  to  the  right  and  partly  through  our  line,  and 
took  position  a  short  distance  from  the  great  cornfield,  and  at 
once  commenced  firing  at  the  enemy ;  and  the  statement  we  now 
make  is  that  soon  after  the  I28th  Pennsylvania  passed  to  our  right 
front  and  whilst  we  were  on  a  halt  west  of  the  Smoketown  road, 
there  appeared  to  be  confusion  at  the  front,  and  then  General 
Mansfield  rode  forward,  to  reconnoitre,  and  very  soon  came  back, 
and  not  far  from  the  right  front  of  the  I25th  Regiment,  it  was 
noticed  that  his  body  bent  forward  on  the  saddle  of  his  horse 
and  his  head  appeared  to  drop  on  his  breast.  Then  Captain  Gard 
ner,  of  Company  "  K,"  near  the  right  of  the  regiment  (as  we 
were  at  this  time  in  reverse  order),  ordered  Sergeant  John  Kehoe 
and  Private  Samuel  Edmundson,  of  said  company,  to  go  to  the 
assistance  of  the  General,  and  as  they  did  so,  Lieutenant  Ziegler 
says,  Private  E.  S.  Rudy,  of  Company  "H,"  joined  them,  also 
two  other  men,  not  of  the  I25th  Regiment.  One  of  them  took 
hold  of  the  bridle  reins  of  his  horse,  whilst  two  others  re 
moved  him  from  the  horse,  and  all  then  reversed  their  mus 
kets,  placed  him  on  the  same,  carried  him  to  a  tree  a  few 
steps  to  the  rear,  where  a  surgeon  appeared,  and  where  he  was 
delivered  to  a  second  party,  believed  to  be  of  the  loth  Maine 
Regiment,  who  carried  him  still  further  to  the  rear  in  a  blanket. 
They  then  resumed  their  places  in  the  ranks,  and  the  regiment 
moved  to  the  rear  and  then  quickly  to  the  left  front,  where  we 
came  to  the  iron  gun  battery  that  was  firing  at  the  Confederate 
battery  on  the  limestone  ledge  to  the  left  front  of  the-Dunker 
church  where  the  Maryland  monument  now  stands,  and  we  saw 
nothing  further  of  the  General.  A  few  of  the  QOth  Pennsylvania 
Regiment  were  near  the  iron  gun  battery  when  we  came  to  it, 
and  Colonel  Sellers,  of  that  regiment,  says  they  were  the  last  of 
Hooker's  men  to  leave  the  east  woods. 

The  loth  Maine  were  no  doubt  battling  near  the  point  where 
General  Mansfield  was  wounded,  and  we  admit  he  was  wounded 
near  them,  and  we  detract  nothing  from  their  record  as  a  regi 
ment  or  the  good  work  they  did  on  the  I7th  day  of  September, 
1862,  but  we  say  again,  that  the  General  was  wounded  west  of 


96 

the  Smoketown  road  and  much  further  to  the  right  front  than 
the  spot  marked  by  Major  Gould,  and  the  men  of  the  I25th  Penn 
sylvania  were  the  first  to  come  to  his  assistance  after  he  was 
wounded.  The  writer  is  positive  that  he  spoke  to  two  men  of 
the  loth  Maine  on  our  halt  west  of  the  Smoketown  road,  and 
further  to  the  front  than  the  Gould  marker,  who  said  they  were 
engaged  at  our  right  front  close  to  the  cornfield,  and  furthermore 
he  was  on  the  battlefield  on  May  29th,  1897,  with  General  Knipe, 
who  commanded  the  first  brigade,  first  division,  Twelfth  Corps, 
and  who  said  without  hesitation,  after  looking  at  the  spot  marked 
by  Major  Gould,  that  it  was  much  too  far  to  the  left  rear.  He 
pointed  out  the  stone  fence  over  which  the  46th  Pennsylvania 
climbed  to  cross  the  Smoketown  road  when  they  moved  to  the 
cornfield,  also  the  mound  where  Colonel  Croasdale  was  killed, 
and  then  remarked,  "  Out  there,  I  think,  in  front  of  the  mound, 
Mansfield  was  killed." 

Captain  T.  J.  Hamilton,  late  of  the  28th  Pennsylvania  Regi 
ment,  who  was  on  the  battlefield  in  October,  1894,  to  assist  in 
marking  the  lines  of  battle,  says  he  was  detached  from  his  regi 
ment  for  a  few  minutes  at  the  time  General  Mansfield  was 
wounded,  and  was  an  eye-witness  to  the  wounding,  and  that  he 
saw  a  sergeant  and  two  privates  remove  him  from  his  horse,  carry 
him  a  short  distance  to  the  rear,  place  him  underneath  a  tree,  and 
leave  him  in  charge  of  a  surgeon,  but  he  did  not  know  at  that 
time  what  regiment  the  men  belonged  to.  This  statement  corre 
sponds  with  the  statement  of  Sergeant  Caho,  Captain  Gardner, 
Lieutenant  Dunegan,  Lieutenant  Ziegler,  and  others  of  the  I25th 
Regiment.  He  also  marked  the  point  where  he  believed  Mansfield 
was  wounded,  to  the  left  of  the  location  we  give,  but  practically  on 
a  line  with  it,  and  not  far  distant,  and  also  west  of  the  Smoketown 
road.  Major  H.  A.  Shenton,  late  of  the  I28th  Pennsylvania  Regi 
ment,  was  also  on  the  field  at  the  same  time  Captain  Hamilton 
was  there,  and  he  thought,  whilst  the  location  we  fix  may  not  be 
exact,  it  was  not  far  wrong,  and  was  satisfied  the  General  was 
wounded  west  of  the  Smoketown  road,  near  the  cornfield  where 
their  regiment  was  engaged.  Daniel  Mumma,  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  proprietor  of  a  livery  stable  in  Sharpsburg  in  1888 
and  1891,  and  who  was  with  us  on  the  field  in  said  years,  informed 
us  that  the  location  we  fixed  was  about  the  same  that  the  surgeon 
who  ministered  to  the  General  after  he  was  wounded  pointed 


97 

out  to  him  a  few  days  after  the  battle.  John  Benner,  one  of  the 
old  citizens  of  Sharpsburg,  who  was  there  at  the  time  of  the  battle, 
and  who  is  acquainted  with  the  Antietam  field,  and  three  other 
persons  also  acquainted  with  the  field,  were  with  the  writer  on  said 
field,  on  September  I5th,  1900,  and  all  agreed  that  the  place  where 
we  say  General  Mansfield  was  wounded  is  practically  the  same 
that  the  majority  of  the  people  living  on  or  near  the  battlefield  at 
the  time  the  battle  was  fought  had  pointed  out  to  them  by  par 
ticipants  soon  after  the  engagement,  and  by  visitors  since  then, 
and  it  was  generally  believed  to  be  the  true  location.  Mr.  Benner 
also  said  that  the  pair  of  bars  Major  Gould  has  spoken  of  were  at 
the  great  cornfield  and  not  near  his  marker. 

David  R.  Miller  and  a  few  others  pointed  out  a  location  that 
was  far  out  of  the  way,  and  any  one  with  a  knowledge  of  the 
positions  of  the  Twelfth  Corps  could  detect  their  error  readily; 
and  the  report  that  the  citizens  of  Sharpsburg  agreed  on  the  loca 
tion  pointed  out  by  David  R.  Miller,  on  investigation  made,  proved 
to  be  a  mistake.  Alexander  Davis,  who  now  resides  on  the  field, 
says  the  General  was  wounded  west  of  the  Smoketown  road. 

Colonel  Higgins'  report  of  the  battle  was  made  five  days  after 
it  took  place,  when  all  facts  were  fresh  in  his  memory  and  the 
memory  of  others,  and  when  he  said  in  his  report,  "  previous  to 
this  General  Mansfield  fell,  some  of  my  men  carrying  him  off 
the  field  on  their  muskets  until  a  blanket  was  procured,"  the 
truth  of  the  same  was  known,  and  can  yet  be  testified  to,  as  also 
the  fact  that  the  wounding  occurred  west  of  the  Smoketown  road 
and  near  the  great  cornfield.  Colonel  Higgins  never  at  any  time 
doubted  his  report,  or  thought  he  was  deceived  or  imposed,  upon, 
but  at  all  our  reunions  substantiated  the  facts  as  reported  by  him. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Fillebrown,  who  made  the  report  of  the 
doings  of  the  loth  Maine  Regiment  in  the  battle,  does  not  even 
mention  the  wounding  of  General  Mansfield,  and  that  so  import 
ant  a  matter  as  this  should  be  omitted  from  his  report  confirms 
the  truth  of  our  position.  We,  however,  will  dwell  no  further 
on  this  subject,  having  given  the  I25th  Pennsylvania's  side  of 
the  story,  and  we  close  this  statement  by  reiterating  that  official 
reports  show  that  the  portions  of  the  brigade  that  became  engaged 
soon  after  entering  the  east  woods  did  their  fighting  at  and  near 
the  great  cornfield,  where  Colonel  Croasdale,  of  the  I28th  Penn 
sylvania  Regiment,  was  killed.  To  this  point  General  Mansfield 
7 


98 

had  gone,  as  stated  in  Major  Gould's  history,  and  of  which  our 
memory  also  serves  us,  and  here  he  was  wounded ;  and  when  the 
Major  fixes  the  location  of  the  wounding  of  the  General  at  the 
spot  he  has  selected  and  marked,  he  makes  it  too  far  from  the 
Croasdale  mound  for  an  officer  mortally  wounded  to  ride,  and  in 
the  selection  of  this  spot  he  does  injustice  to  his  own  brave  loth 
Maine  Regiment,  by  locating  it  too  far  from  the  front  and  at  a 
place  where  few  of  the  enemy  were  when  the  brigade  first  entered 
the  east  woods. 

Confederate  accounts  either  claim  Antietam  as  a  victory  for 
their  side,  or  say  it  was  a  drawn  battle,  but  it  was  neither,  for  their 
army  retreated  across  the  Potomac  and  left  the  field  in  the  pos 
session  of  the  Federals,  who  can  justly  claim  it  a  triumph  of  their 
arms,  as  they  did  Gettysburg,  the  following  year.  Had  it  been 
a  Confederate  victory  or  a  drawn  battle,  Lee  would  have  pressed 
any  advantage  he  believed  he  had  secured,  by  resuming  hostilities, 
or  at  least  have  awaited  an  attack  from  McClellan,  and  not 
retreated  across  the  Potomac  and  left  the  battlefield  with  its  many 
unburied  dead  in  possession  of  his  adversary.  He  did  neither,  and 
General  Longstreet's  book,  "  From  Manassas  to  Appomattox," 
to  which  we  have  previously  alluded,  shows  conclusively  that  he 
was  in  no  position  to  renew  the  battle  or  wait  long  for  an  attack 
from  McClellan.  The  issues  involved  at  Gettysburg  were  greater 
than  at  Antietam,  but  there  the  two  armies  stood  facing  each 
other  for  a  whole  day  after  the  close  of  the  battle  the  same  as  at 
Antietam.  Lee,  however,  was  utilizing  this  time  in  making 
preparations  for  retreat. 

At  the  close  of  Antietam,  Lee  abandoned  his  intention  of 
destroying  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  of  invading 
Pennsylvania  and  burning  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  bridge  over 
the  Susquehanna  river  at  Rockville,  and  then  turning  his  attention 
to  Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and  Washington. 

The  battle  also  had  the  effect  of  awakening  and  renewing 
confidence  at  the  North  in  the  ultimate  success  of  the  Federal 
arms,  and  of  stimulating  recruiting ;  and  it  proved  the  death- 
knell  of  slavery,  for  President  Lincoln  immediately  issued  his 
Emancipation  Proclamation  that  gave  freedom  to  four  millions  of 
slaves  in  the  South,  in  fulfillment  of  the  vow  previously  made 
by  him. 

Much   acrimonv   has   been    exhibited    and    criticism    indulged 


99 

against  General  McClellan  for  the  manner  in  which  Antietam 
was  fought,  and  for  not  renewing  the  battle  on  the  i8th  of  Sep 
tember,  but  it  is  not  the  place  of  the  writer  to  take  part  in  the 
same,  further  than  to  say  other  generals  had  to  meet  similar 
criticism. 

We  now  end  the  account  we  give  of  the  battle  by  quoting  a 
song  composed  for  the  regiment  by  a  blind  man,  by  the  name  of 
Gailey,  who  was  related  to  some  of  the  members  of  Company 
"  D."  In  addition  to  being  blind,  the  man  was  uneducated,  and 
allowance  must  be  made  for  what  may  not  be  grammatical  and 
for  incorrect  measures.  It  is  to  be  sung  to  the  air  of  the  "  Red, 
White  and  Blue,"  and  is  as  follows : 

How  brave  are  the  Union's  defenders, 
Their   deeds   fill   our   hearts    with   delight, 
Pennsylvanians    never    surrender, 
But  conquer  or  die  in  the  fight. 
Shinking  not  from  danger  in  action, 
McClellan's  command  they  obey, 
Hurling  death  through  the  traitorous  faction, 
On   the  banks  of   Antietam  that   day. 

On  the  seventeenth  day  of  September, 
For  battle   they  all   did  prepare, 
And  taught  traitors  then  to  remember 
Our  boys  from  the  county  of  Blair. 
They  stood  where  the  cannon  did  rattle, 
And  made  Stonewall  Jackson  give  way. 
New  laurels  they  won  in  the  battle, 
On  the  banks  of  Antietam  that  day. 

To  conquer,  our  heroes  intended, 

Be  the  rebel   force  ever  so   large. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  acted  splendid, 

Like  veterans  they  marched  to  the  charge. 

Tho'  fresh  from  their  homes,  they  were  steady, 

Colonel    Higgins    directed   their   way. 

And  the  battle  raged  furious  and  bloody, 

On  the  banks  of  Antietam  that   day. 

Their  campaign  in  Maryland  is  ended, 
Many  thousands  were  lost  in  that  game. 
"  Little  Mac  "  is  the  man  just  intended 
Those   rebellious   spirits  to  tame. 


100 

Huzza  for  the  troops  that  can  save  us, 
Now   marching  in  battle  array, 
Who  conquered  the  hordes  of  Jeff.  Davis 
On  the  banks  of  Antietam  that  day. 

Three  cheers  for  Colonel  Higgins  and  then 
Three  more  for  Lieutenant  Colonel  Szink, 
And  three  times  three  for  their  gallant  men 
And  a  health  to  them  all  we  '11  drink. 
Till  the  star  spangled  flag  of  the  nation, 
O'er  all  Rebeldom  they  display. 
May  all  heroes  be  found  at  their  station, 
As  were  ours  at  Antietam  that  day. 


"Antietam  to  Chancellorsville 

By 
HON.   J.   D.   HICKS, 

Company    K.,    I25th    Regiment,    P.    V. 

WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS 


MAP  OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE,  CHANCELLORSVILLE  HOUSE,  HARPER'S 
FERRY,  KANE'S  BRIGADE  IN  THE  TRENCHES 

Among  the  thousands  of  Pennsylvania's  boys,  whose  patriotic  ardor 
led  them  to  volunteer  as  privates  in  the  ranks  to  fight  for  the  Union, 
were  many  whose  talents  fitted  them  for  higher  positions,  and  of  this 
class  none  served  his  country  more  zealously  and  creditably  than  Hon. 
J.  D.  Hicks,  of  Altoona,  Pa. ;  on  his  return  to  civil  life  he  studied  law, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  has  become  widely  known,  not  only  amonjj1 
the  legal  profession,  but,  also,  in  the  political  arena,  as  an  eloquent 
public  speaker.  His  fellow  citizens  of  that  Congressional  district,  in 
recognition  of  his  patriotism  and  ability,  sent  him  to  Washington,  D.  C, 

as  their  Representative  in  the  53d,  54th  and  55th  sessions  of  Congress. 

w.  w.  w. 
101 


"ANTIETAM     TO     CHANCELLORSVILLE" 

¥ 
BY  HON.  J.   D.    HICKS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Antietam  Field — Burying  the  Dead — The  Hospital  at  Sharpsburg — 
Camping  at  Harper's  Ferry — "  Old  John  Brown  " — Camps  on  Maryland 
and  London  Heights — Letters  from  Home — Resolutions  of  Respect  for 
our  Dead  Comrades — Sickness  and  Death — Detached  Duty — Standing  off 
the  Sutler — Crackers  containing  Live  Meat — The  fine  camp  in  Loudon 
Valley — Night  Excursions — Hunting  Guerrillas,  etc. 

THE  Friday  morning  of  the  iQth  of  September,  the  second  day 
after  the  Battle  of  Antietam,  dawned  with  the  sun  in  a  cloud  of 
mist,  and  a  heavy  fog  hung  over  the  entire  valley  of  the  Potomac 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Every  man  in  the  Union  army 
expected  the  battle  of  Wednesday  to  be  renewed.  We  peered 
through  the  gray  fog  in  the  direction  where  we  knew  the  enemy's 
line  of  battle  had  been,  but  failed  to  note  any  movement  or  see  any 
moving  figures.  No  order  being  given  for  an  advance,  we  soon 
learned,  ere  the  fog  had  lifted,  that  our  enemy  had  abandoned 
the  field,  and  had  in  the  silent  watches  of  the  night  retreated 
across  the  Potomac  and  was  again  on  the  south  bank  of  that 
historic  river.  This  left  us  an  opportunity  to  investigate  and 
view  the  scene  of  the  great  battle.  Evidences  of  the  severity 
of  the  contest  were  plainly  visible  in  all  directions.  Dead  Con 
federates  and  dead  horses  marked  our  pathway  from  the  Lines 
farm  to  the  Dunker  church ;  broken  caissons,  swords,  belts,  limbs 
of  trees,  pieces  of  harness  and  clothing  were  in  all  directions,  and 
bore  mute  testimony  to  the  severe  struggle  that  had  taken  place. 
Our  own  dead  had  been  partly  gathered  the  day  before  under  the 
flag  of  truce  asked  for  by  the  enemy,  to  care  for  their  wounded, — 
but  for  the  real  purpose  of  gathering  themselves  together  and 
securing  their  retreat.  We  soon  familiarized  ourselves  with  the 
scenes  in  which  we  had  so  actively  participated.  The  west  and 
east  woods,  the  Lines,  the  Miller  and  the  Poffenberger  farms,  the 
Smoketown  road,  the  Hagerstown  pike,  the  cornfield  in  which  so 

103 


104 


many  Confederates  lost  their  lives,  and  in  which  the  Pennsylvania 
Reserves   had   so   gallantly   distinguished   themselves,   the  place 
where  Mansfield  fell,  the  Dunker  church,  Roulette's  barn,  and  the 
Bloody  Lane,  all  were  in  turn  visited.     Before,  however,  being 
permitted  to  do  this  a  detail  was  made  to  bury  the  Confederate 
dead,  and  for  some  reason  unexplained  to  us,  we  were  kept  lying 
under  arms  in  line  of  battle  in  the  open  field  opposite  the  Dunker 
church,  until  the  sun  shone  warmly,  when  the  veteran  and  gray- 
haired  General  Sumner  came  riding  along,  and  noticing  our  posi 
tion,   inquired  who  was  in  command  of  the  brigade.     No  one 
immediately    responding,   he   personally   gave    the    command   of 
"  Attention !  "  and  then  directed  Colonel  Higgins  to  remove  his 
men  to  the  shadow  of  the  woods  in  the  rear,  and  there  to  stack 
arms  and  rest.     For  this  we  were  truly  grateful  as  the  sun  was 
by  this  time— probably  9.30  o'clock— quite  hot,  and  the  putrid 
air  of  the  battlefield  caused  by  the  burning  of  the  dead  horses  was 
at  times  stifling  and  almost  unbearable.     As  before  said,  after 
this,  we  were  allowed  the  liberty  of  looking  over  the  field,  and 
this  the  entire  regiment  proceeded  to  do,  except  a  detail  of  about 
one  hundred  men  that  had  been  made  to  help  bury  the  dead  and 
gather  the  debris  of  the  battle.     In  our  investigation  of  the  field  at 
the  Dunker  church  we  clearly  saw  that  our  Regiment  had  the 
honor  of  penetrating  to   the   farthest  point  in  the   Confederate 
lines,  and  as  a  fact  had  divided  their  army,  and  had  our  position 
been  supported,  and  held,  that  part  of  the  Confederate  forces  west 
of  the  Dunker  church  would  have  been  cut  off  and  compelled  to 
surrender.    The  Confederate  dead  in  the  south  edge  of  the  woods 
proved  the  destructiveness  of  our  fire,  when  the  flanking  move 
ment  was  in  progress,  that  compelled  us  to  leave  the  church  and 
retire  back  of  the  batteries.     It  was  probably  three  o'clock  when 
our  detail  was  called  in,  and  we  were  placed  in  marching  order 
and  moved  across  the  field  and  down  the  pike  to  Sharpsburg. 
As  we  passed  over  the  field  and  beyond  the  bloody  lane,  and  the 
smoking  ruins  of  Mumma's  barn,  where  so  many  lives  had  been 
lost,  we  noticed  the  long  trenches  in  which  lay  the  Confederate 
dead.     Scores  and  scores  of  them  had  been  gathered  ready  for 
burial,  with  no  covering  but  their  own  clothes,  and  a  stray  blanket 
or  two  over  them,  and  the  burial  details  were  then  commencing 
to  throw  the  dirt  over  their  bodies  that  soon  forever  hid  them  from 
human  eyes.    They  were  all  young  men,  indeed  the  most  of  them 


105 

were  boys  like  ourselves,  and  attested  their  bravery  by  the  sur 
render  of  their  lives.  How  bravely  they  had  stood  the  repeated 
charges  of  our  army,  and  the  thought  possessed  us  that  many 
homes  in  the  far-away  South,  and  in  our  own  beloved  Northland, 
were  to-day  in  mourning  for  the  dear  boys,  who  had  laid  down 
their  lives  in  battle.  Before  we  had  been  ordered  to  march,  the 
missing  men  of  our  own  regiment  were  eagerly  searched  for  and 
every  possible  effort  made  to  find  them,  and  while  doing  this  we 
noticed  that  surgeons  where  the  wounded  had  been  gathered  for 
treatment,  from  the  near-by  towns  in  Maryland  and  also  from 
Pennsylvania,  were  already  on  the  field  assisting  the  regular  sur 
geons  and  hospital  stewards,  and  were  doing  all  that  earnest  men 
could  do  to  relieve  the  wounded  and  suffering.  Those  that  would 
bear  moving  were  removed  as  rapidly  as  transportation  could 
be  secured.  As  we  passed  through  Sharpsburg  we  saw  our 
wounded  enemies  by  the  scores ;  in  fact  the  whole  town  was  a 
hospital.  Poor  fellows  !  The  fight  was  all  knocked  out  of  them,  and 
in  our  pity  for  them  we  forgave  them  for  their  brave  efforts  to 
turn  the  battle  in  their  favor.  The  sufferings  endured  were  awful 
to  behold,  and  as  it  was  hard  to  realize  that  scenes,  so  ghastly, 
so  bloody,  so  fearful,  and  so  many  dead,  dying  and  wounded, 
were  real,  we  turned  from  the  views  presented,  with  horror.  It 
seems  impossible  that  men  could  be  so  inhuman  to  each  other, 
yet  this  was  war — and  was  necessary  to  preserve  our  country. 

We  passed  the  Burnside  Bridge  where  the  battle  had  raged 
in  the  afternoon,  and  where  one  of  Pennsylvania's  favored  sons, 
the  gallant  Colonel  Hartranft,  and  his  brave  men  had  faced  the 
leaden  storm,  and  crossing  Antietam  Creek  took  the  opposite 
high  hills,  on  the  extreme  left  of  our  line  of  battle.  Here  too 
were  plainly  seen  evidences  of  bloody  work,  but  they  did  not 
equal  the  destructive  sights  in  and  about  the  Bunker  church  and 
the  bloody  lane.  When  we  passed  beyond  the  evidences  of  the 
strife  we  seemed  to  breathe  the  new  air  and  take  on  new  life.  We 
seemed  to  renew  and  repossess  ourselves  of  our  old-time  enthus 
iasm  and  hopefulness,  and  freely  discussed  the  glorious  victory 
we  had  helped  to  achieve. 

At  a  small  place  called  Rohrersville,  some  few  miles  from 
Harper's  Ferry,  we  halted  for  the  night,  and  having  no  tents  with 
us,  we  made  ourselves  as  comfortable  as  possible  around  rail  and 
log  fires,  and  cooked  coffee  and  ate  hardtack  and  bacon.  Next 


106 

morning  we  leisurely  proceeded  down  the  Potomac  river  towards 
Harper's  Ferry,  and  went  into  camp  in  Pleasant  Valley  at  the 
foot  of  Maryland  Heights,  where  we  lay  until  September  23d. 
During  this  time  we  \vere  permitted  to  view  the  ruins  of  Harper's 
Ferry — first  we  saw  the  camp  of  General  Miles,  that  he  had  so 
disgracefully  surrendered  to  the  Confederate  army  a  few  days 
before  the  battle  of  Antietam,  with  his  force  of  over  eleven  thou 
sand  men.  It  seemed  to  us  like  gross  inefficiency,  if  not  a  traitor's 
work,  to  occupy  the  low  and  untenable  land  known  as  Bolivar 
Heights  when  such  strong  defensive  positions  as  the  Maryland 
and  the  London  Heights  were  within  reach.  Perhaps  we  are  too 
severe  in  our  criticism,  as  we  were  only  private  soldiers  discussing 
the  work  of  the  generals ;  and  we  regret  that  General  Miles  did 
not  live  to  vindicate  his  conduct  (if  he  could  have  done  so).  Our 
blood  boiled  as  we  looked  at  Maryland  Heights  and  at  the  same 
time  noticed  where  the  camp  of  our  army  had  been  on  Bolivar 
Heights,  where  all  that  possibly  could  be  done  was  to  await 
capture,  after  Maryland  and  London  Heights  were  in  possession 
of  the  enemy.  We  are  not  alone  in  our  view  of  the  disgraceful 
surrender  at  Harper's  Ferry,  as  Lossing,  in  his  "  Cyclopaedia  of 
American  History,"  has  this  to  say  of  it : 

"  When  the  post  was  threatened,  Halleck  instructed  McClellan  to 
succor  the  garrison,  and  on  the  day  of  the  struggle  at  Turner's  Gap 
(battle  of  South  Mountain)  he  ordered  Miles  to  hold  out  to  the  last 
extremity.  Meanwhile  Jackson,  by  quick  movements  had  crossed  the 
Potomac  at  Williamsport,  and  at  noon,  on  Sept.  13,  he  was  in  the  rear  of 
Harper's  Ferry.  The  Confederates  were  then  in  possession  of  London 
Heights  and  also  of  Maryland  Heights,  which  commanded  Harper's 
Ferry.  That  post  was  completely  invested  on  the  I4th.  Miles  was  told 
by  McClellan  to  "  hold  on,"  and  also  informed  how  he  might  safely 
escape.  But  he  appeared  to  pay  no  attention  to  intructions,  and  to  make 
no  effort  at  defence;  and  when,  early  on  the  15th,  no  less  than  nine 
batteries  opened  upon  the  garrison,  he  displayed  a  white  flag.  Before  it 
was  seen  by  the  Confederates,  one  of  their  shots  had  killed  him.  The 
post  was  surrendered,  with  all  its  troops,  ordnance,  ammunition,  and 
stores.  There  were  11,583  men — half  of  them  New  Yorkers — surrendered; 
and  the  spoils  were  73  cannon,  13,000  small  arms,  200  wagons,  and  a 
large  quantity  of  tents  and  camp  equipage.  It  was  shown  that  Miles 
had  disobeyed  orders  to  make  measures  for  the  defence  of  the  post, 
and  he  was  strongly  suspected  of  sympathy  with  the  Confederate  cause." 

We  looked,  of  course,  at  the  ruins  of  the  Arsenal  where  old 


108 

John  Brown,  a  few  years  before,  had  foolishly  attempted  the  then 
impossible  work  of  freeing  the  slaves,  and  had  roused  old  Virginia 
from  centre  to  circumference,  and  paid  for  his  mad  effort  and 
rash  work  by  the  forfeit  of  his  life;  and  we  remember  singing 
with  zest  a  couplet  from  the  old  song : 

"John  Brown  took  Harper's  Ferry, 
With   his   nineteen   men    so   true, 
He   woke   up    old    Virginia, 
He  shook  her  through  and  through. 
They  hung  him  for  a  traitor, 
But    they    were   traitors    too, 
His  soul  goes  marching  on." 

Harper's  Ferry  is  a  truly  historic  spot  and  deserves  more  than 
a  passing  notice.  It  is  beautifully  situated  at  the  confluence  of 
the  Shenandoah  and  Potomac  rivers,  high  hills  and  beautiful  val 
leys  reaching  far  southward  and  westward  meet  and  please  the 
eye.  Looking  eastward,  there  is  presented  to  view  a  beautiful  gap 
in  the  mountain  and  a  far-reaching  valley  beyond.  On  one's  right 
hand  is  the  Loudon  Mountain,  in  Virginia,  with  high  and  beauti 
fully  sloping  sides  to  the  westward,  clothed  in  wooded  verdure 
until  it  reaches  a  summit  of  grandeur  and  beauty.  Several  hun 
dred  feet  above  on  the  left  rise  the  abrupt  and  rocky  cliffs 
and  towering  heights  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  in  Maryland,  on  the  top 
of  which  is  a  wooded  range  of  fine  chestnut  and  oak  trees,  with 
here  and  there  a  field  capable  of  high  cultivation,  dotted  with 
peach  and  other  fruit  trees.  From  these  heights,  there  flows  a 
beautiful  brook  of  bright  and  sparkling  water  that  comes  rippling 
down  over  the  rocks,  adding  brilliancy  and  beauty  to  the  scene. 
At  your  back,  as  you  look  westward,  or  if  you  turn  about  and  face 
to  the  south  and  west,  is  the  beautiful  Shenandoah  river  and 
valley  stretching  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  from  the  foot  of  the 
Loudon  Mountain.  The  town  itself  is  on  a  level  spot  at  the 
juncture  of  the  two  rivers,  and  immediately  back  of  the  town  are 
gently  sloping  hills,  rising  to  the  plateau  known  as  Bolivar 
Heights.  Westward  is  the  historic  and  rapid  Potomac,  flowing  at 
the  foot  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  pleasant  and  beautiful  to  behold,  it 
winds  between  the  cliffs  and  hills  over  a  rocky  bottom. 

As  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  in  the  direction  of  Williamsport, 
Martinsburg,  etc.,  fine  farms  meet  the  eye.    These  beautiful  valleys 


109 

were  garden  spots  of  the  country,  rich  in  agricultural  resources 
and  supplies,  and  though  partially  devastated  were  yet  in  these 
September  and  October  days  charming  to  behold.  Poor  old  John 
Brown !  What  must  have  been  his  thoughts  of  the  future  when 
he  selected  this  supposed  strategic  and  important  point  for  the 
commencement  of  the  end  of  the  great  struggle  for  the  "  consum 
mation  of  human  liberty !  "  A  few  dilapidated  and  unpainted 
houses  and  destroyed  bridges,  and  here  and  there  a  poor  and 
squalid  native  were  all  that  was  left  to  attest  the  former  prosperity 
of  this  once  important  place.  The  railroad  was  destroyed,  but  the 
beautiful  outlet  of  the  river  and  mountain  gap  still  remained,  as 
a  feast  to  the  eye;  and  as  far  as  the  scene  could  reach  eastward 
in  the  direction  of  Washington  there  was  unveiled  to  view  a 
garden  of  beauty,  and  the  scene  was  such  that  no  artist  can  ever 
properly  portray  on  canvas.  Such  were  our  thoughts  and  such 
were  the  scenes  as  we  loitered  and  lingered  in  and  around  Pleasant 
Valley  and  old  Harper's  Ferry  and  the  Loudon  Mountains. 
Rickety  pontoons  had  taken  the  place  of  the  former  substantial 
bridges,  and  the  Government  soon  commenced  the  work  of  replac 
ing  them  with  bridges  of  iron,  that  fire  would  not  destroy.  The 
work  progressed  very  slowly,  and  we  believe  was  not  finished  until 
after  the  war  had  closed.  On  September  23d,  we  were  moved 
up  on  Maryland  Heights  and  camped  there  until  about  the  28th. 
While  on  the  Heights  our  baggage  came  up,  and  we  again  got 
our  tents,  blankets,  overcoats  and  knapsacks,  and  with  these  came 
letters  from  home.  Nearly  every  man  received  a  letter  and  many 
more  than  one.  Oh,  how  we  pitied  the  poor  fellows  who  got 
none,  for  they  seemed  to  have  no  friends.  We  realized  when  these 
letters  were  read,  what  a  great  battle  we  had  come  through,  and 
how  our  dear  friends  at  home,  especially  our  parents,  had  suffered 
when  reading  the  news  of  it.  How  delighted  they  were  that  we 
had  come  through  safely.  Then  we  had  to  gather  up  the  trinkets, 
the  property  of  the  boys  who  were  among  the  dead  and  wounded, 
and  send  them  home.  This  was  indeed  a  sad  task,  and  with 
these  went  letters  telling  how  and  when  and  where  they  were 
wounded,  and  how  and  when  and  where  they  died.  If  these  letters 
could  now  be  produced  what  a  story  they  could  tell.  More  than 
one  hundred  homes  in  Blair,  Huntingdon  and  Cambria  Counties 
could  furnish  witnesses  of  the  valor  and  devotion  to  country  of 
the  boys  of  the  I25th  Regiment  by  the  surrender  of  lives  and 


110 
serious  wounds  received,  of  husbands,  fathers,  sons,  and  brothers. 

Their  valor  shall  not  be  forgot, 
While   fame   her   record   keeps. 

The  letters  sent  to  these  dear  friends  of  dead  and  wounded  com 
rades  brought  beautiful  and  touching  answers,  and  are  a  part  of 
the  never-to-be-forgotten  unwritten  history  of  the  war,  that  will 
live  by  tradition  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the  patriotic  people  of 
this  great  nation,  their  children  and  their  children's  children,  and 
will  aid  forever  in  the  preservation  of  their  liberties.  Several  of 
the  companies  held  meetings  on  Maryland  Heights  and  appointed 
committees  to  draft  resolutions  to  send  to  the  friends  of  deceased 
comrades  who  had  lost  their  lives  in  the  battle.  We  have  been 
unable  to  obtain  any  of  these  resolutions,  except  those  adopted 
by  Company  "  K,"  that  were  kindly  furnished  the  writer  hereof 
by  Mrs.  Hattie  Ward  Few,  of  Altoona,  the  sister  of  Fred.  C. 
WTard,  of  Company  "  K,"  who  was  mortally  wounded  during  the 
engagement,  and  lingered  until  the  following  day.  The  resolu 
tions  are  as  follows : 


A  TRIBUTE  OF  RESPECT. 

Camp  on   Maryland   Heights. 

At  a  meeting  of  Company  K,  12 5th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers,  held  Oct.  i6th,  1862,  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were 
adopted. 

Whereas,  the  Company  has  learned,  with  deep  regret,  of  the  decease 
of  our  late  comrades,  Fred.  C.  Ward,  Joshua  Cratin,  L.  C.  McDermitt, 
Michael  McDermitt  and  A.  H.  Boartman  from  wounds  received  in  action 
at  the  late  battle  of  Antietam,  Sept.  I7th,  1862,  while  nobly  and  bravely 
performing  their  duty  as  Citizen  Soldiers, 

Be  it  therefore,  Resolved,  That  although  we  lament  their  loss  as 
friends  and  soldiers,  we  feel  proud  to  record,  that  they  met  their  fate 
manfully  and  honorably  while  confronting  the  enemies  of  our  now 
unhappy  country,  and  we  would  pray  for  strength  in  future  to  emulate 
their  example. 

Resolved,  that  the  Company  tender  their  heartfelt  condolence  to  the 
families  and  relatives  of  our  late  Comrades  in  their  heavy  affliction. 

Resolved,  that  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  transmitted  to  the 
families  of  the  deceased  and  also  to  the  Altoona  Mechanics  Library  and 
R.  R.  Association,  of  which  Fred  C.  Ward  was  a  member. 


Ill 

Resolved,   that   a   copy    of    these    resolutions   be    sent   to   the    Altoona 
Tribune  and  Democrat  and  Sentinel,  with  the  request  to  publish  the  same. 

By  order : 

Sergeant  J.  H.  BRYAN 
Corporal  W.  J.  BRADLEY 
Corporal  G.  W.  RUSSELL 
Private  W.  STRONG 
Private  J.  D.  HICKS 
Private    F.    P.    TEARNEY,    Secretary. 
Committee. 


We  were  only  a  short  time  on  Maryland  Heights,  when  we 
were  again  moved  to  Pleasant  Valley  and  soon  again  back  to  the 
Heights,  and  were  subsequently  moved  two  or  three  times  to 
different  localities  on  the  Heights,  apparently  with  the  view  of 
keeping  us  busy  fixing  up,  and  probably  to  keep  us  in  healthy 
condition.  While  on  the  Heights,  Company  "  K  "  lost  one  of  its 
members,  Leonard  Moebus,  of  Altoona.  Leonard  had  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Antietam,  but  had  not  been  well  after  that.  He 
managed  to  keep  along  with  the  regiment,  and  when  in  camp  on 
Maryland  Heights  he  went  out  one  morning  quite  early,  as  was 
supposed,  to  wash  at  the  creek  that  flowed  near  our  camp,  and 
while  there  he  was  seized  with  a  fainting  spell  and  fell  in  the 
creek  face  downward,  and  before  help  reached  him  he  was  dead. 
While  in  Pleasant  Valley,  the  boys  of  Company  "  B  "  made  a 
cornstalk  palace,  that  for  originality  of  design  and  beauty  of  archi 
tecture  wre  do  not  think  could  be  surpassed.  Comrade  Harry  Carls 
claimed  to  be  the  architect  and  principal  builder.  It  was  a  sure- 
enough  house,  and  was  rain  proof.  Carls'  claim  for  credit  for 
the  house  was  disputed  by  Sergeants  Gerst,  Sholler  and  Allender. 
They  claimed  a  share  in  the  work,  and  all  were  full  of  regrets 
when  they  had  to  move  away  from  it.  When  in  and  around  Pleas 
ant  Valley,  and  on  the  Heights,  many  of  the  regiment  became 
sorely  afflicted  with  chronic  diarrhoea,  and  several  of  the  comrades 
during  the  fall  sickened  and  died.  Charles  A.  Stoner,  James  W. 
Conrey  and  Andrew  Finney  of  Company  "  D,"  George  M.  London 
and  Leonard  Moebus  of  Company  "K,"  of  Altoona ;  L.  H.  Bressler 
and  Samuel  Henshey,  of  Company  "  A  " ;  George  H.  Africa,  G. 
W.  Brenneman,  E.  C.  Dunmire,  Henry  Hood  and  Albert  Knode, 
of  Company  "  C  " ;  Jacob  Straithoof  and  Johnson  Straithoof ,  of 


112 

Company  "  B  " ;  Abraham  Troxell,  Company  "  E  " ;  William 
Friedley,  of  Company  "  H  " ;  William  H.  Birge  and  Benjamin 
David,  of  Company  "  I,"  and  Joseph  H.  Piper,  of  Company  "  G," 
were  of  those  who  died  either  in  camp  there  or  at  hospital,  while 
Captain  Gardner,  of  Company  "  K  " ;  Britton  E.  Cluck  and  Jacob 
Beattie,  of  the  same  company,  and  many  others,  were  seriously 
ill,  and  suffered  from  the  effects  of  the  illness  there  contracted 
during  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Indeed,  the  soldiers  who 
were  attacked  with  this  miserable  disease,  the  most  of  them  at 
least,  never  fully  recovered  from  the  effects  it  produced. 

One  of  the  unpleasant  incidents  connected  with  our  camp  in 
Pleasant  Valley  and  on  Maryland  Heights  was  the  miserable 
condition  on  several  occasions  of  the  supplies  received  from  our 
quartermaster,  the  most  disagreeable  of  which  was  a  lot  of 
wormy  crackers.  While,  of  course,  we  enjoyed  crackers  and  meat, 
we  preferred  to  draw  them  separately  and  not  have  the  meat 
cased  up  in  crackers  in  the  shape  of  live  worms.  Our  quarter 
master,  Major  W.  C.  Bayley,  while  in  no  way  responsible  for  the 
unsavory  condition  of  these  supplies,  became  for  a  time  very 
unpopular,  and  was  hooted  at  whenever  he  appeared  in  regimental 
quarters.  This  treatment  of  our  quartermaster  was  unjust  to  him, 
as  the  condition,  as  before  said,  of  the  supplies  was  not  in  any 
way  chargeable  to  any  neglect  on  his  part,  and  we  soon  thereafter 
learned  that  the  Major  raised  a  great  racket  at  headquarters 
about  these  same  supplies.  This  condition  of  things  lasted  about 
two  weeks,  and  when  the  rations  came  again  in  good  shape  the 
boys  freely  forgave  the  Major  for  an  offense  of  which  he  was 
never  guilty.  Indeed,  we  can  safely  say  that  no  regiment  in  the 
brigade  had  a  more  earnest  and  faithful  quartermaster  than  was 
the  quartermaster  of  the  125th,  and  during  our  entire  term  of 
service  we  never  had  cause  of  complaint  of  any  of  the  supplies 
being  served  us,  excepting  the  crackers  that  contained  live  meat, 
and  these  came  from  the  commissariat  of  the  army,  and  for  their 
condition  the  quartermaster  was  not  accountable.  The  bacon, 
coffee,  sugar,  vegetable-soup  compound,  fresh  meat  and  fresh 
bread  that  were  served  us  from  time  to  time  were  most  excellent 
in  quality,  and  as  pure  and  good  as  could  be  expected.  During 
the  time  we  were  receiving  the  bad  crackers  our  sutler,  Mr.  John 
Clingerman  (he  being  a  cripple)  did  quite  a  thriving  business,  and 
those  of  the  boys  who  had  no  money  established  a  line  of  credit 


113 

with  the  sutler,  who  was  deservedly  one  of  the  most  popular  men 
with  us.  We  have  never  carefully  inquired  whether  all  the  sutler 
bills  made  on  that  occasion  were  entirely  liquidated,  for  fear  that 
some  old  scores  existing  against  possibly  the  writer  hereof  might 
by  chance  be  resurrected. 

About  October  3Oth  we  were  moved  across  the  Potomac  river, 
around  the  end  of  London  Mountain,  and  camped  in  a  beautiful 
open  valley,  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountain  (the  Loudon 
Heights,  as  sometimes  called),  on  the  sacred  soil  of  old  Virginia, 
with  a  beautiful  view  of  the  valley  of  the  Potomac.  Here  we  laid 
out  a  fine  camp  and  especially  comfortable  quarters,  and  remained 
until  ordered  to  reinforce  Burnside  in  his  efforts  to  capture  Fred- 
ericksburg,  in  December.  Whilst  in  camp  at  this  place  we  became 
well-disciplined  soldiers,  and  were  attached  to  General  Kane's 
Brigade,  of  the  Twelfth  Corps,  and  soon  got  acquainted  with  that 
gallant  little  man,  General  Kane,  and  his  gentlemanly  staff  officers, 
one  of  whom  was  Captain  John  P.  Green,  his  assistant  adjutant- 
general,  who  afterwards  became  vice-president  of  the  Pennsyl 
vania  Railroad  Company.  Captain  Green,  like  the  General,  was 
deservedly  popular  with  the  entire  brigade.  These  officers,  with 
our  regimental  and  company  officers,  took  great  interest  in  our 
duties,  and  soon,  by  constant  drill  and  the  discharge  of  picket 
guard,  and  other  duties,  we  became  proficient.  General  Kane  pro 
nounced  us  on  more  than  one  occasion  the  "  flower  of  the  army," 
and  his  chief  desire  seemed  to  be  an  opportunity  to  prove  the 
kind  of  material  we  were  made  of.  Indeed,  the  General  was  as 
proud  of  his  men  as  an  enthusiastic  mother  would  be  of  her  baby, 
and  never  lost  an  occasion  to  express  his  delight  and  approval  of 
our  efficiency  when  opportunity  offered.  Our  brigade  at  this  time 
consisted  of  the  following  regiments,  to  wit:  2Oth  Connecticut, 
1 23d  New  York,  and  I24th  and  I25th  Pennsylvania.  Several 
times  while  we  lay  at  this  camp  there  were  rumors  of  guerrilla 
molestation  and  our  pickets  were  annoyed.  We  were  taken  out 
in  the  night  time  to  repel  what  seemed  to  be  raids.  General  Kane 
would  generally  accompany  us  on  these  night  excursions.  At 
times  we  would  travel  several  miles,  but  generally  got  back  to 
camp  by  morning.  On  some  of  the  trips  captures  of  suspected 
persons  were  made,  but  we  never  learned  the  result  of  the  cap 
tures.  Our  regiment  suffered  no  loss  on  any  of  the  excursions, 
but  we  learned  that  several  Ohio  men  were  shot  or  captured  on 
8 


114 

different  occasions.  Deserters  from  Stonewall  Jackson's  command 
at  Winchester  occasionally  came  to  our  picket  line  and  surren 
dered.  We  had  many  visitors  to  our  camp  in  Loudon  Valley, 
some  of  them  from  home,  and  among  them  was  Mrs.  Higgins,  the 
wife  of  our  Colonel,  who  was  a  welcome  guest  and  had  kind  and 
encouraging  words  for  all  of  us.  Companies  "  D  "  and  "  G  "  were 
for  a  time  on  detached  service  at  Sandy  Hook  and  Berlin,  and  part 
of  Company  "  K  "  was  detailed  to  help  build  a  suspension  bridge 
over  the  Shenandoah  river  to  Harper's  Ferry.  All  were  kept  busy 
at  various  employments  and  duties,  until  the  order  came,  about 
December  loth,  to  break  camp  and  move  to  the  front,  to  help 
crush  the  Confederate  army.  This  we  proceeded  to  do  with 
reluctance,  for  our  camp,  as  before  said,  was  a  most  pleasant  and 
delightful  one,  and  we  had  been  consoling  ourselves  with  the 
thought  that  we  would  perhaps  be  allowed  to  winter  here.  We 
will  ever  look  back  with  most  pleasant  recollections  of  the  camps 
in  and  around  Harper's  Ferry,  and  especially  the  one  in  Loudon 
Valley,  for  it  was  the  most  pleasant,  restful  and  charming  one  of 
our  soldier  life. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Gloomy  Winter  of  '62  and  '63 — Breaking  Camp  at  Loudon  Heights 
—Passing  Bull  Run  Battlefield— The  Beautiful  Plains  of  Chantilly— 
Capture  of  Fairfax  Station  by  Stuart's  Cavalry— Our  Attempted  Capture 
of  Stuart — Experience  of  Wolf  Run  Shoals — Fighting  a  New  Enemy — 
"The  Genuine  Grayback  "—Helping  the  Mule  Teams— Picket  Duty- 
Night  Alarms — The  Effect  of  Sweet  Music — Resignation  of  General  Burn- 
side— A  New  Commander,  "  Fighting  Joe  Hooker  "—Sickness  in  Camp— 
etc. 


THE  winter  of  1862-63  will  be  remembered  by  those  whose 
memories  recall  the  incidents  of  that  gloomy  time  as  being  the 
most  trying  and  saddening  of  the  war ;  especially  was  this  so 
after  the  disastrous  repulse  of  the  portion  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  under  General  Burnside  at  Fredericksburg.  Much  had 
been  expected  by  the  country  of  General  McClellan,  perhaps  too 
much,  after  Antietam. 

His  continued  fault-finding  with  the  President  and  his  failure 
to  overtake  and  punish  Lee's  army  before  it  fell  back  across  the 
Blue  Ridge,  were  the  subjects  of  severe  criticism  on  the  part  of 
the  newspapers  and  discouraged  his  most  ardent  and  enthusiastic 
admirers  in  the  army.  All  this  finally  led  to  his  being  superseded 
by  General  Burnside.  The  army,  however,  never  lost  its  love 
for  "  Little  Mac,"  as  the  soldiers  proudly  called  him,  and  as  an 
organizer  and  a  general  who  took  most  excellent  care  of  his  men 
General  McClellan  will  ever  stand  among  the  foremost. 

The  army  received  the  appointment  of  General  Burnside 
kindly,  believing  it  to  be  for  the  best,  and  whilst  all  recognized 
that  possibly  the  new  commander  was  not  as  able  or  as  experienced 
as  General  McClellan,  he  was  patriotic  and  earnest  in  his  desire  to 
defeat  the  Confederate  army  and  bring  the  war  to  a  successful 
conclusion.  About  the  time  the  forward  movement  was  being 
planned  to  capture  Fredericksburg,  and  its  commencement  daily 
looked  for,  the  I25th  Regiment,  that  had  spent  a  pleasant  fall 
and  early  winter  in  their  camp  in  Loudon  Valley  and  near  Harper's 
Ferry,  was  ordered,  with  the  other  portion  of  the  brigade  and 
division,  to  move  nearer  to  the  scene  of  conflict,  and  at  the  end  of 
a  week  or  thereabouts  of  marching  in  rather  pleasant  weather  the 

115 


116 

regiment  reached  Old  Dumfries,  when  we  learned  of  the  first 
disaster  at  Fredericksburg.  Soon  thereafter,  when  the  famous 
"  stuck  in  the  mud  campaign  "  disastrously  ended,  a  part  of  the 
regiment  was  detailed  to  bring  up  the  corps  ammunition  train, 
which  was  scattered  along  the  road  from  Old  Dumfries  to  Stafford 
Court  House,  most  of  the  wagons  being  fast  in  the  mud.  This 
proved  to  be  a  hard  as  well  as  perilous  task,  for  the  roads  were 
simply  awful,  and  the  mud  was  both  sticky  and  deep.  By  night 
and  day  for  over  a  week  in  this  miserable  wet  December  we  helped 
the  mules,  and  some  of  the  boys  assisted  the  drivers  and  wagon- 
masters  in  the  "  cussing  "  that  seemed  to  be  necessary  to  get  the 
mules  to  pull  the  trains  up  on  the  high  ground  near  old  Stafford 
Court  House.  The  dangerous  part  of  the  work  consisted  in 
watching  the  Confederate  cavalry,  who  were  most  vigorously 
annoying  our  flanks  and  compelling  us  every  night  to  lie  on  our 
arms  prepared  to  repel  an  attack  from  Stuart  and  his  active  men. 
On  one  of  these  marches,  at  the  end  of  a  miserable  drizzly  day,  in 
which  we  had  wearily  dragged  ourselves  along  with  the  train, 
through  snow,  rain  and  mud,  frequently  compelled  to  stop  and 
place  our  shoulders  to  the  wheels  of  a  wagon  to  help  it  along,  and 
occasionally  prying  it  out  of  a  mudhole,  and  the  building  of  short 
pieces  of  corduroy  road,  in  our  efforts  to  catch  up  with  the 
brigade  that  had  gone  into  camp  some  miles  ahead  of  us,  impene 
trable  darkness  overtook  us,  and  about  four  miles  from  Dumfries, 
while  we  were  pulling  up  a  hill  and  almost  despairing  of  making 
any  headway,  one  of  the  boys,  with  a  little  more  grit  than 

the  others,  said,  d d  if  he  was  going  to  march  that  night  any 

longer;  we  are  stuck,  said  he,  and  might  as  well  lay  up  for  the 
night ;  suiting  his  action  to  the  words  he  uttered,  he  commenced 
to  lay  off  his  accoutrements  and  prepare  to  halt,  and  by  a  little 
persuasion  his  five  comrades,  the  corporal  and  driver  yielded,  and 
the  guns  were  stacked,  the  mules  unhitched  from  the  wagon  that 
was  stuck  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  and  they  were  brought  to 
higher  and  firmer  ground;  by  the  aid  of  an  axe  a  fire  was  made, 
and  eight  members  of  the  regiment  made  the  best  of  a  bad  job  on 
that  miserable  winter  night,  and  were  soon  cooking  coffee,  and  by 
eating  pork  and  hardtack  endeavored  to  forget  their  unfortunate 
condition ;  with  feet  to  the  fire  the  boys  extracted  comfort  out  of 
their  trouble;  with  a  gum  blanket  underneath,  knapsack  for  pillow 
and  wool  blanket  for  cover,  the  night  was  spent  as  well  as  could 


117 

be  expected  in  such  dismal  circumstances,  and  without  any  addi 
tional  mishap,  except  in  sleeping  with  our  feet  to  the  fire  two  of 
the  boys  got  their  toes  too  close  to  it,  and  when  morning  came 
their  shoes  were  burned  out,  and  "  Uncle  Sam  "  had  to  furnish 
two  additional  pairs  of  No.  6  shoes  for  the  boys  who  had  lost 
theirs  on  the  march;  by  a  supreme  effort  the  next  morning  the 
wagon  was  extricated  from  the  mud,  and  by  noon  we  reached 
the  camp ;  fortunately  no  official  action  was  taken  of  the  matter, 
and  Corporal  Mclntyre  and  Lieutenant  Dunnegan  got  out  of  the 
scrape  without  a  Court-Martial. 

Brigadier-General  Kane,  always  anxious  to  show  the  mettle 
that  his  brigade  was  made  of,  for  several  nights  had  the  I25th,  also 
the  1 24th,  Pennsylvania  Regiments  acting  as  a  flying  squadron  to 
round  up  Stuart's  men,  and  he  made  a  most  gallant  effort  in  this 
direction.  The  second  night  we  were  out  the  cold  was  intense, 
and  we  did  not  dare  to  have  a  fire,  as  it  would  at  once  disclose 
our  whereabouts  to  the  enemy.  Many  of  the  boys  suffered 
severely.  Of  course,  the  wily  Stuart  got  away  from  us,  but  it 
was  no  fault  of  ours  nor  of  our  general,  as  we  did  our  best  to 
catch  his  force,  but  they  rode  too  rapidly  and  were  too  sleek  for  us, 
and  evidently  the  natives  kept  them  posted  of  our  whereabouts 
and  movements,  and  it  was  impossible  to  get  them  into  the  trap 
that  we  so  neatly  laid  for  them.  This  effort  to  surround  and 
capture  Stuart's  Cavalry  deserves  more  than  a  passing  notice. 
We  were  near  what  was  called  Wolf  Run  Shoals,  and  not  only 
our  brigade  but  also  the  entire  division  was  halted  and  thrown 
into  line  of  battle,  by  reason  of  suddenly  coming  onto  the  enemy, 
and  we  anticipated  some  hot  work.  This  was  in  the  latter  part  of 
December,  1862.  General  Slocum,  our  corps  commander,  and  his 
staff  were  riding  in  advance  of  our  brigade,  and  by  a  sudden 
dash  of  Stuart's  men  they  were  nearly  captured.  In  the  evening 
the  1 25th  was  thrown  oflt  about  three  miles  in  advance  of  the  line 
of  battle,  and  relieved  the  2oth  Connecticut, 'very  much  to  their 
pleasure  and  comfort.  We  spent  the  night  in  a  deep  pine  wood, 
near  where  our  cavalry  had  a  fight  during  the  day.  On  our  second" 
night  out,  as  before  said,  it  was  extremely  cold,  and  on  the  follow 
ing  day,  December  29th,  we  marched  back  to  camp  near  Fairfax 
Station,  and  found  while  we  were  absent  the  Confederate  cavalry 
had  visited  the  station,  cut  the  telegraph  wires  and  played  havoc 
generally.  The  camp  of  the  124th  Regiment  was  badly  torn  up, 


118 

and  its  sutler  was  raided  and  his  entire  stock  captured.  Our 
sutler  fortunately  was  not  discovered  and  was  lucky  enough  to 
escape.  The  disgust  of  General  Kane  when  he  found  out  what  the 
Confederates  had  done  while  we  were  hunting  them  cannot  be 
properly  depicted.  While  in  camp  at  Fairfax  the  boys  of  Com 
pany  "  G  "  captured  a  Confederate  spy,  who  had  been  hovering 
about  our  camp  for  several  days,  clad  in  citizens'  garb  and  posing 
as  a  native  selling  plug  tobacco.  By  some  means  one  of  the  boys 
noticed  he  had  a  peculiar-looking  plug  and  wanted  to  buy  it,  but 
this  he  would  not  sell  or  part  with.  Suspicion  being  aroused,  an 
examination  was  made,  and  in  this  plug  were  found  papers,  with 
drawings  of  our  brigade  and  division  camps,  that  convicted  him 
of  the  nefarious  work  in  which  he  was  engaged.  We  heard  that 
he  was  hanged  a  few  days  afterward.  No  doubt  this  was  one 
of  the  chaps  who  kept  General  Stuart  so  well  posted  of  our  where 
abouts  and  doings.  The  boys  of  Company  "  G  "  will  remember 
him  as  a  middle-aged  man  with  a  long  beard  and  a  good  talker. 
He  and  Cal  Russ  used  to  discuss  the  war  and  other  matters 
for  hours ;  in  fact,  he  spent  several  nights  in  Company  "  G  "  quar 
ters,  but  tarried  one  night  too  many,  as  the  sequel  proved. 

We  resumed  our  march  toward  Fredericksburg  about  the 
middle  of  January,  1863,  and  on  the  march  to  Stafford  we  passed 
at  Dumfries  the  first  brigade  of  our  second  division,  being  Ohio 
boys,  and  the  28th  Pennsylvania.  They  sympathized  with  us  as  we 
trudged  along  in  the  mud,  and  gibed  us  no  little  on  our  poor 
luck  in  having  to  be  out  in  such  miserable  weather.  One  incident 
of  this  march  we  are  certain  the  boys  of  the  I25th  will  never  for 
get  ;  it  was  this :  A  storm  was  threatening,  and  our  Colonel 
concluded  to  halt  earlier  than  usual.  We  had  just  emerged  from 
a  wood  about  a  mile  or  two  north  of  Stafford  Court  House,  when 
we  were  ordered  to  stack  our  arms  and  halt  for  the  night.  There 
was  an  old  camp  near  where  we  stopped,  and  the  Colonel  gave  us 
permission  to  occupy  it,  and  very  soon  we  had  our  little  dog-tents 
stretched  over  the  log  huts  and  made  ourselves  real  cozy,  and  were 
for  the  time  being  at  least  "  strictly  in  it."  For  half  a  day  and  a 
night  we  seemed  to  have,  and  did  have,  real  comfort.  It  snowed 
during  the  night  and  was  quite  cold.  When  morning  came  we 
congratulated  ourselves  on  the  advantage  we  had  over  the  balance 
of  the  brigade  by  reason  of  our  excellent  good  fortune  in  getting 
such  fine  quarters.  About  ten  o'clock,  however,  the  weather  mod- 


119 

crated,  the  sun  commenced  to  shine,  the  snow  to  melt,  and  the 
balmy  air  of  that  climate  soon  came  with  the  moderation  of  the 
weather.  This  combination  of  circumstances  caused  a  commotion 
in  the  camp  such  as  had  never  before  been  seen  or  experienced, 
and  by  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  nearly  every  soldier  in  the 
regiment,  including  the  officers,  could  be  seen  along  the  bank  of 
the  stream  nearby,  or  in  front  of  their  quarters,  with  coat  and 
other  garments  off,  employed  in  a  most  active  investigation  as  to 
the  cause  or  causes  of  the  twitchings  and  uneasy  feelings,  accom 
panied  with  the  desire  to  scratch  that  seemed  to  have  taken  hold 
of  every  individual.  Each  one  was  determined  to  ascertain  why 
his  backbone  should  be  used  as  a  race-course  by  small  fleet-footed 
chargers,  whose  presence  could  only  be  discovered  by  the  violent 
laying  on  of  hands,  and  could  only  be  exterminated  by  the  strictest 
and  most  scrutinizing  search  with  boiling  salt  water.  This  was  our 
first  real  acquaintance  with  the  genuine  "  grayback  "  (the  army 
louse),  and,  sure  enough,  he  stuck  to  us  closer  than  a  brother  and 
stayed  with  us  until  "  our  change  of  base."  It  is  needless  to  add  that 
before  many  days  passed  we  were  out  of  the  old  tents  and  found 
quarters  that  "  graybacks "  had  not  already  secured  in  our 
advance,  but  for  the  time  at  least  the  balance  of  the  brigade  had 
the  laugh  on  the  I25th. 

One  of  the  sad  incidents  while  in  camp  at  this  point  was  the 
loss  by  sudden  death  of  our  regimental  commissary  sergeant, 
Samuel  Baker,  or  Becker,  of  Company  "  B."  He  was  a  most 
excellent  soldier  and  companionable  man.  He  had  at  one  time 
been  one  of  John  Brown's  men  in  Kansas,  and  used  to  entertain 
the  boys  with  reminiscences  of  the  old  Hero  of  Kansas  border  war 
fare  and  Harper's  Ferry.  He  was  a  most  excellent  commissary 
and  was  an  expert  in  getting  his  mule  teams  through  on  time,  and 
with  half  a  chance  Sergeant  Baker's  wagons  of  the  I25th  would 
lead  the  procession. 

During  the  time  we  lay  on  the  hills  near  Stafford,  the  ifth 
Pennsylvania  Cavalry  were  encamped  about  a  mile  in  our  rear. 
There  was  nothing  peculiar  in  this  save  they  had  a  most  excellent 
band  of  music,  and  before  sundown  every  evening  across  the  hills 
would  roll  the  strains  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  "  Sweet  Annie  of 
the  Vale  "  and  "  Annie  Laurie,"  until  our  hearts  would  ache  with 
the  thoughts  of  clear  ones  left  behind  that  this  music  kindled. 
Many  an  evening  we  saw  stalwart  comrades  slyly  wiping  away  the 


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escaping  tell-tale  tear,  and  nearly  every  man  in  the  regiment  was 
softened  by  the  sweet  memories  it  revived.  While  there  we  had 
night  alarms,  and  were  called  out  several  times  to  repel  supposed 
attacks  from  Stuart's  Cavalry.  Lieutenant  McCamant,  of  Com 
pany  "  G,"  in  his  diary,  under  date  of  February  26,  1863,  says : 
"  Aroused  at  4  A.  M.,  and  marched  to  Austiu's  Creek  to  repel  a 
supposed  attack  of  cavalry";  and  under  date  of  March  n,  he 
says :  "  Another  night  alarm  orders  out  the  regiment,  but  we 
found  no  enemy."  Again,  on  March  13,  the  diary  says:  "  Still 
another  night  alarm,  but  no  enemy  came."  On  March  14,  "  We 
moved  our  camp  to  Kane's  Landing,"  and  on  March  17,  "  We 
heard  heavy  cannonading  in  the  direction  of  Warrenton  Junction 
—the  cause  of  which  we  did  not  learn." 

Picket  duty  about  Stafford  was  hazardous,  and  frequent  cap 
tures  were  made  of  the  boys  who  performed  that  very  important 
work.  The  writer  hereof  remembers  one  night  on  an  outpost, 
about  three  miles  from  camp,  in  a  thicket  of  woods,  along  an  old 
mill-race  that  at  one  time  fed  a  saw  or  grist  mill,  a  party  of  six 
under  Sergeant  Graw,  were  doing  their  best  to  keep  under  shelter 
in  a  snow  storm,  and  at  the  same  time  discharge  a  duty  placed 
upon  them.  We  dug  a  hole  in  a  bank  under  the  trees,  heaped 
bushes  around  us,  and  built  a  fire  to  keep  as  warm  as  possible. 
The  heavy  pine  bushes  helped  us  to  keep  dry,  but  one  of  our  num 
ber  had  to  be  outside  the  shelter  to  warn  us  of  an  attack,  when 
suddenly,  about  midnight,  we  heard  a  great  commotion  in  our 
front,  and  the  snow  came  rattling  down  from  a  nearby  tree,  mak 
ing  quite  a  noise.  Comrade  Ed.  Hall,  who  was  on  the  watch, 
came  rushing  in  and  aroused  us.  Sergeant  Graw  immediately 
ordered  every  man  out,  and  what  little  vestige  of  fire  we  ha.d  was 
stamped  out.  We  double-quicked  around  to  ascertain  if  possible 
in  the  gray  darkness  the  cause  of  the  noise,  but  after  a  good  deal 
of  scurrying  we  found  nothing  and  saw  nothing.  About  two 
o'clock  the  writer's  turn  for  an  hour  on  the  watch  came,  and  soon 
thereafter  the  same  noise  was  heard  from  the  same  direction. 
Again  the  guard  was  aroused  and  the  same  vigilant  search  insti 
tuted,  when  finally  our  corporal  and  the  writer  chanced  under  the 
tree  where  the  snow  had  been  shaken  off,  and  finding  an  unusual 
quantity  on  the  ground,  we  peered  about  and  discovered  that  a 
flock  of  pheasants  had  been  the  cause  of  our  alarm.  We  secured 
two  of  the  birds  that  were  upon  the  lower  limb,  and  with  their 


121 

capture  the  alarm  for  that  night  was  at  an  end.  Had  Comrade 
Hall  fired  his  gun,  or  our  sergeant  given  an  alarm,  the  regiment 
would  have  again  been  called  out,  as  it  was  a  few  nights  before 
and  a  few  nights  afterward.  The  reader  can  be  assured  the  pheas 
ants  made  good  eating,  and  as  a  January  dish  made  quite  a  relish. 

The  order  to  march  from  Loudon  Valley  to  the  front,  on  the 
Rappahannock,  was  given  in  the  early  part  of  December,  and  the 
march  began  about  the  i  ith  of  the  month,  and  ended  near  Stafford 
Court  House  in  the  latter  part  of  January,  1863.  But  it  must  be 
remembered  that  when  we  reached  Dumfries  we  were  ordered 
back  to  Fairfax  Station,  where  we  remained  until  the  latter  part 
of  January.  This  march  was  a  rapid  one,  and  we  had  but  little 
time  to  examine  the  country  through  which  we  passed.  Most  of 
the  daylight  was  consumed  in  marching,  but  we  had  a  half-hour 
at  noon  to  prepare  coffee  to  drink,  and  refresh  ourselves  with  what 
we  had  in  our  knapsacks.  In  the  evening  we  had  to  hustle  to 
prepare  our  suppers  and  pitch  tents  for  a  place  to  sleep.  In  the 
morning  we  were  aroused  early,  to  strike  tents  and  get  breakfast. 
All  this  kept  us  busy.  We  halted  early  one  afternoon  and  were 
given  an  opportunity  to  view  the  beautiful  plains  of  Chantilly ; 
near  this  place  Generals  Kearney  and  Steens  were  killed  the 
preceding  September.  Of  course,  we  recalled  the  devotion  of 
these  brave  officers  to  the  cause  in  which  we  were  enlisted,  and 
during  the  course  of  the  afternoon  viewed  as  much  of  the  battle 
field  as  we  possibly  could,  and  notwithstanding  several  months 
had  passed,  we  saw  many  evidences  of  the  fierceness  of  the  con 
flict  that  had  there  raged. 

The  latter  part  of  December  was  very  cold,  and  the  exposure 
we  were  subjected  to  was  great.  We  had  this  cold  weather  to 
endure  in  our  chase  after  Stuart's  Cavalry,  but  amid  it  all  we 
heard  no  complaints,  and  we  do  not  think  soldiers  ever  performed 
duty  more  cheerfully  than  did  Kane's  brigade  in  their  fruitless 
efforts  to  bag  Stuart's  troopers  during  those  cold  December 
nights. 

In  the  month  of  January  occurred  the  famous  mud  march 
already  referred  to,  when  we  were  moved  forward  to  support 
Burnside's  second  effort  to  capture  Fredericksburg.  The  rain  was 
incessant  and  the  roads  bottomless.  We  had  previously  received 
the  news  of  the  disaster  that  befell  our  army  in  its  first  attack  on 
Fredericksburg,  but  this  only  had  a  temporary  depression  on  our 


122 

spirits,  and  in  a  few  days  our  desire  to  forcibly  suppress  the  rebel 
lion  and  end  the  war  was  as  strong  as  ever.  We  resumed  our 
march  from  Fairfax  Station,  to  which  place  we  had  fallen  back  in 
December,  on  January  19,  and  when  we  reached  our  camping 
place,  near  Stafford  Court  House,  we  were  complimented  by  our 
corps  commander,  General  Slocum,  for  the  courage  and  endurance 
exhibited  on  this  very  trying  march. 

The  intention,  evidently,  of  the  commander  of  the  army,  Gen 
eral  Burnside,  was  for  Slocum's,  or  Twelfth  Corps,  to  take 
part  in  the  campaign  against  Fredericksburg,  and  the  movement 
of  the  corps  was  so  timed  and  directed  as  to  fully  protect  the  rear 
of  the  army  and  that  part  of  the  country  lying  between  Washing 
ton  and  the  Rappahannock.  The  line  of  our  march  was  infested 
with  the  Confederate  cavalry,  and  we  were  frequently  in  close 
proximity  to  the  wily  General  Stuart  and  his  troopers.  The  news 
of  the  failure  of  the  attack  on  Fredericksburg,  and  the  recrossing 
of  the  river  by  General  Burnside  to  his  old  position,  and  the  heavy 
loss  sustained  in  the  battle,  reached  us  soon  after  its  occurrence. 
This  and  the  severe  cold  weather  that  immediately  followed  were 
temporarily  a  damper  to  the  ardor  and  enthusiasm  that  had  before 
that  time  possessed  our  part  of  the  army.  Our  movement  from 
Fairfax  Station  was  no  doubt  intended  to  unite  us  with  the  main 
army,  and  it  was  the  general  belief  of  our  officers  that  we  would 
participate  in  the  second  attack  on  Fredericksburg,  ordered  to  be 
made  in  the  month  of  January,  but  the  terrific  rain  storm  that 
broke  over  us  about  the  middle  of  the  month,  during  which  we, 
like  the  balance  of  the  army,  "  stuck  in  the  mud,"  caused  the  pro 
jected  attack  to  be  abandoned ;  but  the  recollection  of  it  and  the 
distress  suffered  by  reason  of  it  will  ever  form  a  memorable  part 
of  the  campaign  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Of  this  second 
intended  attempt  on  Fredericksburg  and  Lee's  army,  Stine,  in  his 
"  History  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,"  says : 

"  During  the  night  of  the  2Oth,  that  is  January  1863,  the  rain  began 
and  by  morning,  the  21  st,  the  earth  was  soaked  and  the  river  banks  had 
the  appearance  of  a  quagmire,  already  fifteen  pontoons  were  on  the  river, 
nearly  spanning  it,  and  five  more  were  amply  sufficient.  Burnside  began 
at  once  to  bring  up  his  artillery,  which  had  the  effect  of  making  a 
perfect  mortar  bed ;  for  a  considerable  area  around  the  ford,  all  day  the 
men  worked  in  the  rain  but  to  little  purpose,  quite  a  number  of  cannon 
were  advanced  near  the  ford,  but  the  22nd  only  added  to  the  storm,  and 
the  artillery,  caissons  and  even  wagons  were  swamped  in  the  mud. 


123 

The  storm  had  blocked  Burnside's  movement,  giving  Lee  ample 
time  to  line  the  other  shore  with  his  army,  so  that  there  was  no  time 
to  interfere  with  the  crossing  except  from  the  sharp-shooters,  who 
peppered  away  on  all  occasions.  No  doubt  Lee  was  hoping  Burnside 
would  effect  a  crossing;  with  the  swollen  river  in  his  rear,  it  would  have 
been  a  serious  predicament  for  the  Union  Army  •  indeed,  but  Burnside 
finally  became  reconciled  to  his  fate  and  gave  the  order  for  the  army 
to  retire  to  its  quarters,  and  thus  ended  the  famous  mud  march. 

His  last  ill  luck  (says  this  same  writer,  referring  to  General 
Burnside)  was  too  much  for  his  heretofore  good  nature.  Up  to  that 
time  he  had  paid  no  attention  to  the  criticisms  made  on  him,  but  then 
he  let  loose  the  floodgates  of  his  resentment,  and  issued  an  order 
peremptorily  dismissing  Generals  Hooker,  Brooks,  Newton  and  Cochrane 
from  the  service  of  the  United  States,  and  depriving  Generals  Franklin, 
Smith,  Sturgis,  Ferrero  and  Colonel  Taylor  of  their  respective  com 
mands.  This  most  extraordinary  order  had  to  have  the  approval  of 
the  President.  Mr.  Lincoln  as  usual  looked  the  matter  over  with  a 
view  of  best  serving  the  interest  of  the  country,  and,  says  the  writer  of 
the  history,  Mr.  Stine,  I  said  to  Rosecrans  that  I  did  not  think  Lincoln 
had  a  particle  of  jealousy  against  a  living  being,  and  that  he  was  so  in 
earnest  to  preserve  the  Nation,  that  if  it  had  depended  on  his  place,  as 
chief  executive  of  the  Nation  he  would  have  left  the  White  House 
peremptorily  and  without  a  regret. 

After  due  deliberation  over  the  remarkable  paper  presented  by 
Burnside  to  dismiss  several  prominent  generals  and  deprive  several 
others  of  their  commands,  or  accept  his  resignation,  the  President  de 
cided  to  relieve  him  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac 
but  not  to  accept  his  resignation,  and  on  the  26th  of  January  he  severed 
his  connection  with  the  army  as  its  Commander." 

Burnside's  resignation  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  was  generally  regretted  by  the  rank  and  file  of 
the  army,  as  they  all  felt  that  the  General  was  a  loyal  and  true 
soldier  of  his  country,  and  it  was  thought  that  he  did  not  receive 
that  cordial  support  from  the  other  officers  of  the  army  that  he 
was  entitled  to.  While  this  was  going  on  at  the  front  as  we  have 
already  said,  our  division  and  brigade  were  floundering  in  the 
mud  between  Fairfax  Station  and  Stafford  Court  House.  About 
the  middle  of  February,  whilst  in  camp  near  Stafford  Court 
House,  we  received  four  months'  pay.  This,  of  course,  was  a  very 
pleasing  incident,  and  put  money  in  all  our  pockets,  by  reason  of 
which  the  sutler  did  a  thriving  business,  and  those  of  the  boys 
who  were  inclined  to  be  sporty  indulged  in  games  of  chance,  but 
the  majority  of  them,  after  paying  their  little  bills  due  the  sutler 
and  due  from  one  to  another,  expressed  their  money  home  to 


124 

parents  and  friends,  where  they  knew  it  would  be  appreciated 
and  taken  care  of,  and  be  productive  of  the  most  good. 

The  appointment  of  General  Hooker  to  the  command  of  the 
army  was  somewhat  of  a  surprise,  but  to  those  who  had  fought 
on  the  right  in  the  opening  of  the  battle  of  Antietam  the  appoint 
ment  was  entirely  satisfactory.  The  General's  conduct  on  that 
morning  and  his  success  in  driving  the  Confederate  forces  to  their 
second  line  of  defence  on  the  Miller  farm  inspired  confidence  in 
his  courage  and  ability.  About  the  middle  of  March  our  division 
and  brigade  were  inspected  and  reviewed  by  him,  in  company  with 
our  corps  commander.  Soon  thereafter  we  moved  from  a  new 
camp  at  Kane's  Landing  to  quarters  near  Acquia  Creek,  and  there 
we  lay  until  the  forward  movement  commenced  in  the  latter  part 
of  April  on  Chancellorsville.  At  this  time  our  brigade  was  recon 
structed  and  we  were  taken  from  Williams'  first  division  and  were 
attached  to  Geary's  second  division  of  the  Twelfth  Corps. 

We  were  scarcely  established  in  our  new  quarters  at  Acquia 
Creek  until  old  acquaintances  and  friends  from  the  62d,  84th  and 
noth  Pennsylvania  Regiments  came  to  see  us,  our  new  camp 
being  much  nearer  to  them  than  our  former  one.  Many  were  the 
reminiscences  talked  over,  and  news  from  home  discussed.  Some 
of  the  boys  received  boxes  from  home  filled  with  good  things, 
which  of  course  gladdened  hearts  and  replenished  larders.  We 
exchanged  courtesies  with  each  other  with  delight  and  relish ;  and 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  we  could  look  across  the  river  from 
Falmouth  to  see  the  "  Johnnies  "  ready  to  greet  us  with  powder 
and  shell,  we  put  in  a  pleasant  time,  and  had  what  would  be 
regarded  under  the  circumstances  a  right  good  thing  of  it.  The 
approach  of  spring  was  soon  noticeable  by  increased  activity  in 
all  quarters.  General  Hooker,  or  "  Fighting  Joe,"  as  the  boys 
used  to  call  him,  had  established  confidence  as  commander.  Presi 
dent  Lincoln  came  down  to  see  us,  and  at  the  grand  review  in  his 
honor  he  complimented  all  of  us  on  our  soldierly  bearing.  On 
this  review  the  army  was  at  its  best  and  seemed  invincible,  but  how 
we  failed  to  subsequently  succeed  will  be  explained  hereafter. 

Much  sickness  prevailed  in  the  camp  in  the  early  spring,  and 
the  regimental  and  brigade  hospitals  were  crowded  with  fever  and 
ague  and  malaria  patients ;  quite  a  number  of  typhoid  fever  cases 
also  developed,  and  several  deaths  had  occurred  at  the  division 
and  corps  hospital.  As  the  time  approached  for  breaking  camp 


125 

and  marching  the  boys  were  enthusiastic  over  the  prospect  of  get 
ting  away  from  sickness,  and  also  enthusiastic  at  the  prospect  of 
helping  terminate  the  war.  Among  the  many  deaths  at  the 
hospital  was  Robert  P.  Engles,  a  very  popular  young  man  of  Com 
pany  "  K,"  out  of  the  Altoona  machine  shops.  Bob  was  a  splen 
did  fellow,  beloved  by  all  his  comrades.  He  came  to  Altoona  from 
Philadelphia,  and  was  apparently  one  of  the  stoutest  and  heartiest 
men  in  the  regiment,  but  the  Virginia  climate  was  too  much  for 
him,  and  before  we  broke  camp  he  crossed  death's  river  and 
added  one  more  hero  to  the  list  of  patriotic  dead.  He  was  the 
fourth  member  of  mess  No.  4,  Company  "  K,"  that  had  fallen  out 
of  the  ranks,  through  no  fault  of  his,  and  failed  to  answer  the  roll- 
call  when  the  muster  was  made  for  the  march  to  Chancellorsville. 
His  messmates  consisted  of  Fred.  C.  Ward,  who  was  killed  at 
Antietam ;  George  W.  Jones,  who  was  wounded  at  the  same  battle ; 
Thomas  H.  Wakefield,  who  was  disabled  by  a  horse  at  Antietam, 
and  J.  D.  Hicks  and  Jacob  Beatty.  This  left  but  Hicks  and 
Beatty  of  the  original  mess  of  six  boys  who  had  clubbed  together 
before  leaving  Altoona.  As  before  said,  Bob  was  well  known  by 
all  the  Altoona  boys  as  a  "  jolly  good  fellow  "  on  the  march  and 
in  camp,  and  his  death  was  mourned  by  all.  We  might  refer  to 
others  of  the  comrades,  who  suffered  from  disease  and  some  of 
whom  died  at  Fairfax,  Stafford  and  Acquia  creek ;  each  had  dear 
friends  and  messmates  in  the  regiment,  in  addition  to  loved  ones 
at  home.  Of  those  who  died  we  recall  the  names  of  Thomas 
Beamer  and  John  A.  McFarland,  of  Company  "  A  "  ;  Theodore  N. 
Cooper  and  Samuel  Reed,  of  Company  "  C  " ;  David  Isenburg, 
John  Wolheater  and  John  Heffner,  of  Company  "  F."  All  of 
these  comrades  were  beloved  by  their  messmates,  and  were  sadly 
missed  in  their  respective  companies.  We  especially  cite  the  case 
of  Robert  Engles,  of  Company  "  K,"  of  those  who  died,  for  the 
reason  his  case  came  under  the  personal  notice  of  the  writer; 
and  the  breaking  of  the  mess  in  Company  "  K  "  but  illustrates  the 
breaking  up  of  groups  in  the  entire  regiment. 

As  we  look  back  over  the  years  and  realize  the  exposures 
suffered,  we  cannot  but  wonder  that  so  many  survived  the  perils  of 
the  camp  and  field  in  the  winter  of  '62  and  '63. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Demoralization  in  Spring  of  1863 — Distrust  at  Home — Desertion  from 
the  Ranks — How  "  Fighting  Joe  Hooker "  Re-established  Confidence — 
New  Formation  of  Brigade — Review  by  President  Lincoln — The  For 
ward  Movement  on  Chancellorsville — The  Battle  Line  at  Chancellors- 
ville — Friday,  Saturday  and  Sunday's  Battles — Their  Unfortunate  Ter 
mination — That  awful  Saturday  Night — Brave  Conduct  of  Three  Musi 
cians — The  Rescuing  of  the  Wounded — The  New  Line  of  Battle — The 
Battle  at  Salem  Church,  etc. — Back  at  the  old  Camp  again — Poem  to 
the  Unknown  Dead  at  Fredericksburg,  by  J.  D.  Hicks,  of  Co.  K. 

As  has  already  been  intimated,  when  Hooker  took  command 
of  the  army  it  was  under  depressing  conditions.  Despondency,  on 
account  of  the  disaster  at  Fredericksburg,  and  homesickness,  pre 
vailed  to  a  large  extent ;  "  French  leave  "  was  resorted  to  by  many 
of  the  boys,  more  especially  of  long-term  regiments,  some  of 
whose  names  yet  remain  upon  the  rolls,  marked  as  "deserter  " ; 
but  desertion  was  not  their  intention  in  most  cases,  but  discontent 
and  discouragement  were  prevalent,  and  the  "  peace  at  any  price 
party  "  were  howling  in  the  rear,  and  of  course  these  had  their 
effect  on  the  boys  in  the  front.  The  politicians  opposed  to  Mr. 
Lincoln  had  created  alarm  and  caused  general  distrust  at  home, 
and  much  of  it  reached  the  army.  The  failure  to  crush  the  rebel 
lion  was  unjustly  blamed  on  the  inefficiency  of  the  Government. 
Hooker  soon  commenced  to  turn  things  right  about,  and  soon  a 
change  for  the  better  was  noticeable.  Drilling  and  marching,  raid 
ing  for  guerrillas  and  scouring  for  Confederate  cavalry,  who  were 
hanging  about  our  right  and  rear,  were  of  frequent  occurrence, 
and  soon  put  the  martial  spirit  in  the  boys.  The  old  cry,  "  On 
to  Richmond !  "  got  to  be  quite  as  popular  an  expression  as  it  was 
before  the  disaster  at  Fredericksburg,  and  by  the  time  the  buds 
commenced  to  swell  in  the  forests  of  Virginia  in  April  the  "  On 
to  Richmond !  "  cry  was  heard  on  all  sides,  and  the  entire  army 
was  ready  and  enthusiastically  awaiting  the  order  to  go  forward. 

It  can  be  truthfully  said  that  a  finer  army,  in  better  spirits,  and 
more  thoroughly  disciplined,  of  over  one  hundred  thousand  men, 
anxious  to  meet  its  foe,  was  never  mustered  than  was  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  in  April,  1863,  and  it  impatiently  awaited  the  order 
to  move  southward.  A  new  spirit  was  infused;  the  grand  divi- 
126 


127 

sions  were  abolished  and  the  army  was  arranged  in  corps.  And 
each  corps  was  designated  by  a  badge,  and  the  badges  denoted  the 
divisions  by  the  respective  colors  of  red,  white  and  blue.  The 
first  division  of  the  Twelfth  Corps  was  designated  by  a  red  star; 
the  second  division,  the  one  to  which  we  were  attached,  was  desig 
nated  by  a  white  star ;  there  being  no  third  division  of  our  corps, 
there  was  no  blue  star.  We  soon  became  very  proud  of  our  corps 
badge,  and  the  white  star  division  of  the  Twelfth  Corps  will  ever 
be  notable  in  history.  We  were  attached  to  Geary's  division 
(second)  of  the  Twelfth  (Slocum's)  Corps,  our  brigade  being  the 
second  one,  consisting  of  the  29th,  lOQth,  inth,  I24th  and  125th 
Pennsylvania  Regiments.  Under  the  impulse  of  the  President's 
proclamation,  issued  about  March  loth,  granting  amnesty  to 
deserters  who  would  return  by  April  1st,  many  who  had  gone 
home  voluntarily  rejoined  their  commands,  and  the  people  at  home 
wrote  more  hopefully.  A  considerable  number  of  recruits  joined 
the  long-term  regiments,  and,  as  before  said,  Hooker  soon  found 
himself  at  the  head  of  as  fine  an  army  as  the  world  ever  saw.  Of 
course,  there  were  some  discouragements,  the  principal  one  being 
that  the  time  of  many  of  the  regiments  would  soon  expire,  and  if 
no  battle  was  fought  in  the  near  future,  several  regiments  from 
New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  other  states  would  be  discharged  by 
reason  of  expiration  of  term  of  service,  and  the  army  would  be 
depleted  by  about  20,000  effective  men.  Hooker  was  compelled  to 
offer  battle  early  in  the  spring  or  lose  the  assistance  of  these  men, 
equal  in  number  to  an  entire  army  corps. 

President  Lincoln  made  a  personal  visit  to  and  inspection  of 
the  army  about  April  25th.  Prior  to  this  he,  with  Secretary  Stan- 
ton  and  other  prominent  personages,  had  a  consultation  with  Gen 
eral  Hooker  and  the  corps  commanders.  This  visit  and  inspection 
by  the  President  was  a  great  occasion.  We  all  labored  to  appear 
our  very  best ;  clean  clothes,  blackened  shoes,  bright  buttons  and 
burnished  guns,  told  the  story  of  how  we  appreciated  the  visit. 
With  dressed  lines  we  passed  in  review  under  his  eye.  We 
cheered  lustily  under  his  kindly  look  and  cheerful  greeting ;  we  all 
loved  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  a  look  in  his  face  convinced  us  of  his 
honesty,  and  we  knew  he  was  an  earnest  man,  a  lover  of  his 
country,  and  he  was,  in  addition  to  all  of  this,  our  friend.  When 
officers  were  too  severe  he  would  interpose  clemency  in  his  mild 
way,  and  he  saved  many  a  poor  fellow  from  severity  and  death. 


128 

If  Mr.  Lincoln  had  been  a  stern  and  harsh  man,  the  history  of 
this  country  might  have  been  quite  different,  and  a  writer  has  well 
said  of  him  at  this  time,  "  He  listened  to  all  complaints  patiently, 
and  then  usually  made  his  decisions."  Respectful  to  all,  he  won 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  his  countrymen,  and  his  name  is  linked 
with  Washington's  in  history,  the  highest  honor  that  could  be 
conferred.  While  he  was  hurling  great  armies  at  the  South  to 
compel  its  people  to  obey  the  laws,  he  nightly  prayed  that  they 
would  see  the  error  of  their  ways  and  return  in  peace.  He 
would  save  the  Union  with  or  without  slavery,  and  when  (after 
wards)  the  assassin's  bullet  ended  this  great  man's  life,  there 
was  mourning  even  in  the  South.  Those  of  us  who  participated, 
and  all  did  who  could,  in  the  Grand  Review,  were  proud  of  the 
fact,  and  each  believed  he  had  caught  the  eye  of  the  President, 
and  the  smile  that  lighted  his  face  was  intended  for  us. 

Shortly  after  this  review,  the  long-expected  order  to  move 
came,  and  the  grand  Army  of  the  Potomac,  with  a  light  step  and 
a  buoyancy  and  hopefulness,  moved  to  the  fords  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock  river  with  celerity,  in  the  full  assurance  of  victory. 

The  Twelfth  Corps  at  this  time  was  made  up  as  follows : 

TWELFTH  ARMY  CORPS. 

Maj.-Gen.  Henry  W.  Slocum. 

PROVOST  GUARD 

loth  Maine  Battalion,  Capt.  John  D.  Beardsley. 

FIRST  DIVISION. 

Brig.-Gen.  Alpheus  S.  Williams. 

FIRST  BRIGADE. 

Brig.-Gen.  Joseph  F.  Knipe. 

5th  Connecticut,  Col.  Warren  W.  Packer,  Lieut.-Col.  James  A. 

Betts,  Maj.  David  F.  Lane. 
28th  New  York,  Lieut.-Col.  Elliott  W.  Cook,  Maj.  Theophilus 

Fitzgerald. 

46th  Pennsylvania,  Maj.  Cyrus  Strouse,  Capt.  Edward  L.Witman. 
1 28th  Pennsylvania,  Col.  Joseph  A.  Mathews,  Maj.  Cephas  Dyer. 


129 

SECOND  BRIGADE. 

Col.  Samuel  Ross. 

.20th  Connecticut,  Lieut. -Col.   Wm.  B.  Wooster,  Maj.   Philo  B. 

Buckingham. 

3d  Maryland,  Lieut.-Col.  Gilbert  P.  Robinson. 
I23d  New  York,  Col.  Archibald  L.  McDougall. 
1 45th  New  York,  Col.  E.  Livingston  Price,  Capt.  George  W.  Reid. 

THIRD  BRIGADE. 

Brig.-Gen.  Thos.  H.  Ruger. 

2fth  Indiana,  Col.   Silas  Colegrove. 

2d  Massachusetts,  Col.  Samuel  M.  Quincy. 

1 3th  New  Jersey,  Col.  Ezra  A.  Carman,  Maj.  John  Grimes,  Capt. 

George  A.  Beardsley. 
io?th  New  York,  Col.  Alexander  S.  Divin. 
3d  Wisconsin,  Col.  William  Hawley. 

ARTILLERY. 

Capt.  Robert  H.  Fitzhugh. 

ist  New  York,  Light  Battery  K,  Lieut.  Edward  L.  Bailey. 

ist  New  York,  Light  Battery  M,  Lieut.  Chas.  E.  Vinegar,  Lieut. 

John  D.  Woodberry. 
4th  United  States,  Battery  F,  Lieut.  Franklin  B.  Crosby,  Lieut. 

Edward  P.  Muhlenberg. 

SECOND  DIVISION. 

Brig.-Gen.  John  W.  Geary 

FIRST  BRIGADE. 

Col.  Charles  Candy. 

5th  Ohio,  Lieut.-Col.  Robert  L.  Kilpatrick,  Maj.  E.  S.  Henry. 
7th  Ohio,  Col.  William  R.  Creighton. 
20th  Ohio,  Lieut.-Col.  Thomas  Clark. 
66th  Ohio,  Lieut.-Col.  Eugene  Powell. 

28th  Pennsylvania,  Maj.  Lansford  F.  Chapman,  Capt.  Conrad  U. 
Meyer. 

SECOND  BRIGADE. 

Brig.-Gen.  Thos.  L.  Kane. 


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131 

2pth  Pennsylvania,  Lieut-Col.  Wm.  Rickards,  Jr. 

lopth    Pennsylvania,    Col.     Henry    J.     Stainrook,    Capt.    John 

Young,  Jr. 

mth  Pennsylvania,  Col.  George  A.  Cobham,  Jr. 
I24th  Pennsylvania,  Lieut. -Col.  Simon  Litzenberg. 
I2$th  Pennsylvania,  Col.  Jacob  Higgins. 

THIRD  BRIGADE. 

Brig. -Gen.  George  S.  Greene. 

6oth  Nezv  York,  Lieut.-Col.  John  C.  O.  Redington. 
78th  New  York,  Maj.  Henry  R.  Stagg,  Capt.  Wm.  H.  Randall. 
I02d  New  York,  Col.  James  G.  Lane. 
1 37th  New  York,  Col.  David  Ireland. 

I4pth  New  York,  Mai.  Abel  G.  Cook,  Capt.  Oliver  T.  May,  Lieut.- 
Col.  Kort  S.  Van  Voorhis. 

ARTILLERY. 

Capt.  Joseph  M.  Knapp. 

Pennsylvania  Light,  Battery  E,  Lieut.  Chas.  A.  Atwell,  Lieut. 

James  D.  McGill. 
Pennsylvania  Light,  Battery  F,  Capt.  Robert  B.  Hampton,  Lieut. 

James  P.  Fleming. 

The  order  issued  to  the  cavalry,  who  led  the  van,  was  to 
fight,  fight,  fight,  and  the  other  parts  of  the  army  were  expected  to 
do  likewise.  On  the  27th  of  April  the  Twelfth  Corps,  of  which 
we  were  a  part,  was  put  in  motion,  and  we  can  yet  see  General 
Slocum,  our  corps  commander ;  General  Geary,  our  division  com 
mander,  and  our  own  gallant  little  General  Kane,  our  brigade 
commander,  as  they  rode  out  at  the  head  of  their  respective  col 
umns  with  their  staff  officers.  A  prouder  set  of  officers  and  more 
determined  men  never  marched  to  music,  and  all  felt  that  victory 
was  in  the  air,  and  that  Richmond  this  time  would  surely  be  ours. 
Arriving  at  Kelly's  ford,  about  27  miles  from  our  camp,  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  29th,  we  crossed  the  Rappahannock  over  pon 
toon  bridges,  and  in  the  afternoon  of  the  3<Dth  we  stacked  our 
guns  on  an  extended  line  of  battle  in  front  of  the  Chancellor 
House,  fully  37  miles  from  where  we  started;  on  our  right  was 
the  Eleventh  Corps,  and  on  our  left  was  the  Fifth  Corps,  and  in 
reserve,  in  the  neighborhood,  was  the  Third  Corps,  and  subse- 


132 

quently  the  First  Corps ;  on  our  immediate  left  was  the  first 
brigade,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Canly,  and  on  our  right 
was  the  third  brigade,  commanded  by  General  Greene.  One 
incident  of  the  march  we  chance  to  recall,  that  was  quite  a  joke  on 
one  of  the  most  efficient  officers  of  the  regiment — it  was  Captain 
Bell,  of  Company  "  A."  The  Captain  was  quite  a  strict  disci 
plinarian  and  generally  had  things  done  just  about  right.  One  of 
the  orders  issued  by  our  commanding  officer  was  that  there  was 
to  be  no  absence  from  the  ranks  without  permission.  This  order 
Captain  Bell  evidently  forgot,  as,  when  we  got  to  the  ford,  the 
Captain,  after  placing  his  company  in  command  of  his  first  lieu 
tenant,  went  off  with  the  chaplain  to  view  the  army  going  over  the 
river.  While  enjoying  this  scene  and  seeing  the  deployment  on 
the  other  side,  General  Kane  came  riding  up,  and  seeing  Captain 
Bell  and  the  chaplain  together,  at  once  halted  to  ascertain  the 
cause.  The  result  was  that  Captain  Bell  was  placed  temporarily 
under  arrest,  but  the  General  soon  relented,  and  before  Company 
"A"  was  deployed  in  line  of  battle  the  Captain  was  in  his  old 
place  and  giving  orders  as  usual. 

Immediately  upon  assuming  our  places  in  the  battle-line,  we 
commenced  throwing  up  breastworks,  and  in  a  short  time,  with 
our  bayonets  and  tin  plates,  we  had  a  line  of  rifle  pits  covering 
our  entire  regimental  front,  behind  which  we  could  nestle  down 
with  safety.  On  the  afternoon  of  Friday  our  brigade  was  ordered 
out  for  a  reconnoissance,  and  we  marched  from  our  works  in  the 
direction  of  Fredericksburg,  Company  "  B  "  acting  as  skirmishers. 
We  advanced  to  the  east  of  the  Plank  Road,  probably  a  mile  and 
a  half;  we  passed  through  quite  a  wood  and  swamp,  and  were 
finally  getting  on  the  high  and  open  ground,  in  the  direction  of 
Salem  Church,  when  we  discovered  the  enemy.  Across  the  open 
field  we  could  see  men  cautiously  moving,  and  quite  a  number 
of  pieces  of  artillery  ready  to  open  on  us,  had  we  advanced 
further.  General  Kane,  who  was  near  Colonel  Higgins  when 
the  command  was  given  to  halt,  was  heard  to  express  himself  as 
anxious  to  go  forward,  but  he  had  received  orders  to  bring  on 
no  battle,  and  instead  of  going  further  he  was  ordered  to  return. 
Doubting  the  wisdom  of  this  instruction  he  protested  forci 
bly  against  returning,  and  wanted  permission  to  charge  over 
the  field  and  take  the  guns  in  our  front.  Whilst  awaiting  per 
mission  to  go  forward,  for  which  he  had  asked,  a  second  order 


133 

came  to  him  to  fall  back,  and  whilst  protesting  against  the  order 
a  third  one  came,  with  some  definite  news  attached,  that  caused 
him,  much  to  his  regret,  to  face  about  his  command  and  com 
mence  the  backward  movement.  We  had  scarcely  commenced  to 
retreat  when  a  line  of  Confederate  skirmishers  was  thrown  for 
ward  and  commenced  firing  upon  us.  They  assisted  all  they  knew 
how  in  hastening  our  steps  in  retirement  to  our  line  of  works. 
When  we  reached  the  Plank  Road  the  fire  became  brisker,  and 
just  before  we  crossed  the  road  the  enemy  unlimbered  a  couple 
of  guns  and  sent  canister  down  the  road  at  a  rapid  rate.  We 
were  moved  north  of  the  road  and  re-formed,  then  about-faced 
and  slowly  moved  backward,  firing  as  we  moved,  until  we  arrived 
at  our  place  in  the  line  of  works,  when  the  skirmish  was  over.  In 
it  we  had  a  number  of  men  captured.  Some  think  that  General 
Kane  was  right  in  wanting  to  advance,  and  claim  that  the  high 
ground  on  our  front  and  in  the  open  was  the  place  for  the  battle, 
and  not  the  ground  about  Chancellorsville,  and  that  had  he  been 
permitted  to  occupy  the  field  he  was  compelled  by  orders  of  his 
superiors  to  abandon,  a  different  story  might  have  been  written 
about  the  fight  at  Chancellorsville. 

In  the  evening  we  moved  along  the  line,  and  found  the  third 
brigade  of  (our)  Twelfth  Corps  and  part  of  the  Third  Corps,  as 
well  as  the  Eleventh  Corps  beyond,  had  thrown  up  a  line  of 
works  like  our  own,  and  for  over  a  mile  through  the  brush  and 
underwood  there  was  a  line  of  rifle  pits  filled  with  anxious  and 
enthusiastic  men,  awaiting  the  action  of  the  Confederate  army, 
and  expecting  them  to  walk  into  the  trap  set  for  them.  Why  they 
did  not'do  this  will'  be  discovered  a  little  further  on. 

Friday  night  was  beautiful,  the  air  was  balmy  and  fragrant,  and 
the  trees  were  just  commencing  to  put  on  their  leaves,  and  it  was 
hard  to  keep  that  great  army  quiet.  All  sorts  of  rumors  were 
reaching  us ;  in  fact,  it  wras  rumored  the  war  was  about  over,  and 
the  entire  Confederate  army  was  about  laying  down  their  arms  to 
"  Fighting  Joe."  Whilst  we  were  talking  it  over  on  that  May 
night,  Lee  and  Jackson,  not  over  one  and  one-half  miles  away, 
were  also  talking  it  over,  and  their  talk  and  plans  proved  much 
more  effective,  which  the  work  of  the  next  day  proved.  In  the 
evening,  quite  late,  we  heard  firing  to  our  left,  and  \vere  told 
that  Sykes  had,  with  his  regulars,  repulsed  an  effort  to  break 
through  his  lines.  Saturday  morning  found  us  awake  early,  and 


134 

soon  the  army  was  astir  and  eager  for  work.  To  our  right, 
between  the  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Corps,  we  saw  a  part  of  our 
army  moving  out  on  an  easy  gait  toward  the  south.  We  were 
told  this  was  the  Third  Corps,  going  to  stop  the  retreat  of  the 
Confederates  further  south.  Scarcely  had  our  men  got  out  of 
sight  when  there  moved  in  our  front  the  steady  tramp  of  an 
armed  force,  apparently  going  in  the  same  direction  as  our  own 
men,  who  preceded  them.  From  this  force  we  could  hear  an  occa 
sional  command,  "  Close  up,"  "  Steady,  men/'  and  like  words,  and 
now  and  then  we  could  catch  glimpses  of  the  gray-clothed  ranks 
moving  with  steady  steps,  with  arms  at  right  shoulder  and  pay 
ing  no  attention  either  to  us  or  to  our  skirmish  line  in  front.  This 
column  proved  to  be  Jackson's  men,  who  were  moving  in  close 
proximity  to  Sickles'  corps  and  our  main  army,  and  were  on  their 
great  flanking  march,  that  caused  us  so  much  trouble  later.  They 
were  then  moving  to  strike  the  rear  of  the  Eleventh  Corps.  Gen 
eral  Kane  was  walking  up  and  down  in  rear  of  the  I25th,  and 
several  times  was  heard  to  remark  to  Colonel  Higgins,  and  also 
to  Captains  McKeage,  Hewit,  Wallace,  Gardner  and  others,  that 
he  would  like  to  have  a  chance  to  investigate  that  column,  and  the 
query  has  often  been  suggested  since,  Why  was  he  not  allowed  to 
do  so  ?  About  two  o'clock  the  column  had  gone  and  our  immediate 
front  became  quiet  again.  Sickles'  men  came  back  from  the  old 
furnace,  where  they  had  gone,  and  the  army  was  resting,  waiting 
until  Lee's  men  should  come  our  way  and  hand  in  their  arms. 

SURPRISE   AND   PANIC   OF   THE    IITH    CORPS. 

About  five  o'clock  we  heard  the  boom,  boom,  BOOM  of  a  big 
gun  away  to  our  right  and  rear,  in  the  direction  of  the  old  tavern 
we  had  passed  so  recently.  Every  man  jumped  to  his  feet 
and  cast  his  eyes  in  the  direction  from  which  that  ominous  sound 
came.  Again  and  again  it  sent  forth  its  loud  and  yet  louder 
report,  and  we  at  once  knew  all  was  not  right,  and  that  a  battle 
had  commenced  in  an  unexpected  quarter.  It  was  a  surprise  to 
us.  Soon  the  boom  of  that  big  gun  became  more  distinct,  and 
the  officers  were  inquiring  of  one  another  what  it  meant.  A  noise 
sounding  like  a  storm  was  approaching  us,  and  with  the  noise  was 
the  firing  of  musketry.  Soon  rushing  orderlies  were  seen,  and 
batteries  moving  in  apparently  all  directions,  yet  none  could 


135 

explain  the  turmoil  and  hubbub  that  was  getting  nearer  us,  and 
the  boom,  boom  of  that  big  gun  was  now  too  close  for  comfort. 
Soon  we  knew  the  battle  was  on  and  we  were  not  the  attacking 
force.  The  noise  made  by  the  "  yi !  yi ! !  yi ! ! !  "  of  the  Rebel  yell 
and  the  rapidly  Hearing  approach  of  the  noise  told  its  own  story, 
and  we  knew  the  battle  was  going  against  our  men.  After  a 
while  a  straggler  came,  then  one  or  two  more,  and  soon  a  handful ; 
finally  a  host,  many  without  guns  or  any  other  marks  of  a  soldier, 
except  uniforms,  to  distinguish  them  as  such,  all  running  for  life, 
panic-stricken,  fleeing  with  faces  blanched  and  full  of  fear,  and 
all  with  the  same  story,  "  the  battle  is  lost,"  "  the  battle  is  lost." 
Soon  the  rush  of  the  panic-stricken  fugitives,  filled  with  terror 
and  frenzy,  was  on  us.  We  were  at  once  ordered  out  of  our 
trenches  and  directed  to  stop  them  in  their  course.  With  fixed 
bayonets  we  made  the  effort,  but  we  might  as  well  have  tried  to 
stop  the  Rappahannock  in  its  onward  course ;  they  broke  through 
our  ranks  and  swrept  over  our  works  into  the  Confederate  lines. 
Do  all  we  could,  say  what  we  pleased,  they  would  not  and  did  not 
stop  until  they  were  either  captured  or  reached  the  river ;  hun 
dreds  of  them  crossed  our  lines  and  rushed  into  captivity  in  the 
Confederate  army  empty  handed.  We  gave  a  sigh  of  relief  when 
they  had  gone,  and  now  we  wrere  in  the  turmoil  ourselves.  Bul 
lets  flew  thick  and  fast,  and  an  occasional  shot  from  a  battery 
gun  w^ent  screaming  over  our  heads ;  whilst  we  were  facing  one 
way  and  receiving  the  enemy's  bullets  at  long  range  from  that 
direction,  we  were  attacked  by  a  skirmish  line  that  had  quietly 
occupied  our  front  in  the  other  direction.  This  latter,  however, 
we  soon  repelled,  and  by  the  time  this  was  done  the  artillery  on 
the  high  ground  at  Hazel  Grove  stopped  the  onslaught  of  Jack 
son's  men.  There  we  stood  our  ground  under  fire  from  flank  and 
front,  until  it  was  silenced  by  the  heaviest  discharges  of  artillery 
we  ever  heard  or  expect  to  hear.  This  kept  up  its  awful  roar  and 
noise  until  nearly  midnight ;  then  on  our  guns,  in  our  rifle  pits, 
we  fell  asleep  and  awaited  the  soldier's  waking  in  the  morning", 
and  when  it  would  dawn  each  felt  and  knew  he  was  to  be  on  the 
firing  line  and  was  expected  to  do  his  duty. 

It  is  hard  to  form  or  give  an  idea  of  the  turmoil  and  excitement 
of  the  Saturday  night's  battle  at  Chancellorsville.  Officers,  men 
and  artillery  horses  were  all  in  one  inextricable  mass  of  panic 
and  confusion ;  arms,  accoutrements,  and  in  many  cases  coats, 


136 

were  cast  away,  so  as  not  to  impede  flight ;  here  and  there  a  brave 
officer  and  an  occasional  private  would  about-face,  and  vainly 
endeavor  to  stop  the  onward  rush  and  induce  the  fleeing  men  to 
rally — all,  however,  to  no  purpose.  Our  own  officers  and  men 
tried  to  exert  some  influence  as  well  as  force  in  the  same  direction, 
and  Captain  Bell,  of  Company  "  A,"  was  especially  active  in  trying 
to  rally  the  fugitives,  and  with  drawn  sword  and  vigorous  lan 
guage  he  tried  in  vain  to  halt  them;  they  finally  passed  us  and 
disappeared  from  view.  The  memory  of  this  crowd  of  panic- 
stricken  men  seems  yet  like  a  dream,  some  hideous  vision  in 
the  night-time,  and  it  is  hard,  even  at  this  late  day,  after  a  lapse 
of  forty-two  years,  to  realize  that  such  abject  fear  and  terror  could 
possess  men  of  reason  and  sense. 

General  Pleasanton,  with  his  artillery  and  by  his  skilful  and 
level-headed  work,  saved  a  more  extended  panic  and  rout.  We 
could  hear  the  noise  and  rush  and  see  the  movement  of  the  artil 
lery  whilst  being  placed  in  position,  and  though  every  man  of  us 
felt  the  tension,  we  fully  realized  the  peril  of  our  situation  and 
the  responsibility  resting  upon  us.  Too  much  credit  cannot  be 
given  to  officers  and  men  for  stemming  that  contagion  of  panic, 
for  it  was  hard  work  for  us  to  keep  from  running  away  with  the 
rest.  The  bloody  work  of  the  artillery  and  musketry  of  Sickles' 
men  commenced  about  eight  o'clock.  We  were  probably  from 
three  to  five  hundred  yards  from  Hazel  Grove,  on  the  left  of  the 
artillery  line ;  the  battle  line  extended  from  that  point  to  Fairview 
in  our  rear,  and  further  on,  perhaps  five  hundred  yards.  The 
Confederate  advance  was  met  with  a  volley  of  shell,  canister  and 
musketry  that  we  do  not  believe  was  ever  exceeded  before  or 
afterward  in  any  battle.  To  properly  describe  this  terrific  night 
battle  is  beyond  the  power  of  pen ;  the  heavy  fire  of  musketry  was 
accompanied  with  shouting  and  yelling  of  the  most  violent  char 
acter,  and  the  loud  cries  of  the  wounded,  mingled  with  oaths  of 
Confederate  officers  trying  to  steady  their  men,  could  occasionally 
be  heard  in  the  intervals  of  moments  on  our  front  and  flank ;  shell, 
shot,  and  bullets  from  sixty  pieces  of  artillery  and  from  Sickles' 
fifteen  thousand  men,  were  poured  into  the  woods  where  the 
Confederates  were  lying,  and  it  seemed  impossible  that  any  living 
thing  could  exist  in  front  of  that  withering  fire.  The  scream  of 
the  shot  and  the  noise  of  the  bursting  shell  echoed  and  re-echoed 
from  that  wood  for  about  two  and  a  half  hours,  and  the  whole 


137 

place,  with  its  noise,  smoke  and  fire,  seemed  more  like  a  part  of 
the  infernal  regions  than  a  place  of  human  habitation.  Language 
cannot  express  nor  give  a  proper  description  of  the  scene  which 
it  was  our  painful  duty  to  participate  in  and  witness.  Finally  the 
tumult  hushed,  and  the  bloody  work  of  the  day's  fight  was  over. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  saved  from  being  crushed  by 
the  almost  superhuman  efforts  that  were  made.  Jackson's  men, 
with  their  intrepid  leader,  had  marched  skilfully  past  both  Sickles' 
and  Howard's  corps,  and  finally  came  on  the  rear  of  Howard  and 
doubled  up  his  men  like  the  rolling  of  a  screen,  and  the  great 
Eleventh  Corps,  with  its  fifteen  thousand  men,  faded  like  a  cloud 
and  was  gone.  Pleasanton,  with  his  artillery,  and  that  of  the 
Third  and  Twelfth  Corps,  alone  stood  between  the  Confederate 
army  and  a  complete  victory.  It  was  probably  eleven  o'clock 
before  the  Rebel  yell  entirely  ceased,  and  the  three  cheers  of  the 
Union  forces  on  the  high  ground  at  Hazel  Grove  could  be  heard 
above  the  din,  announcing  the  fact  of  success  to  our  cause.  Our 
answer  to  that  cheer  was  vigorously  given,  and  rendered  assur 
ance  that  the  Twelfth  Corps  was  in  proper  trim  to  bear  its  part 
of  the  work  that  we  knew  must  follow  on  the  morrow.  After  the 
final  repulse  of  Jackson's  men  we  tried  to  sleep,  but  once  in  the 
night  a  fire  of  some  Confederate  skirmishers  into  Company  "  G  " 
caused  it  to  temporarily  move  out  of  its  works,  but  brave  Captain 
McKeage  soon  had  the  boys  back  in  line  again.  Without  any 
further  excitement  we  lay  on  our  arms  until  awakened  by  the 
boom  of  the  same  gun  that  had  carried  terror  and  destruction 
before  it  on  the  previous  day.  Our  artillery  had  occupied  the  high 
ground  at  Hazel  Grove  the  night  before,  and  from  that  eminence 
had  done  wonderful  work  in  repulsing  the  victorious  enemy,  and 
they  commenced  the  work  of  the  morning  with  caution.  They 
early  engaged  Sickles'  men,  and  by  the  falling  back  of  a  part  of 
that  corps  the  high  ground  at  Hazel  Grove  was  for  a  while  in 
danger  of  a  rear  or  flank  attack.  Unfortunately  its  value  as  a 
strategic  point  was  not  fully  understood  or  appreciated,  and  our 
artillery  abandoned  it  and  fell  back  to  our  immediate  right  rear, 
some  few  hundred  yards  west,  or  rather  south,  of  the  Chancellor 
House.  This  gave  the  enemy  the  advantage  they  desired.  Hazel 
Grove  was  the  key  to  that  part  of  the  field,  and  by  at  once  taking 
possession  of  the  abandoned  eminence  they  obtained  a  range  of 
our  rifle  pits,  and  made  our  line  of  works  untenable  and  of  no 


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139 

protection  whatever.  Several  men,  including  Lieutenant  Jesse  S. 
Stewart,  of  Company  "  A,"  were  killed,  and  a  larger  number 
wounded.  The  29th,  lopth,  and  mth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 
that  lay  in  our  immediate  rear,  suffered  more  severely  than  we 
did.  We  had,  generally  speaking,  no  breakfast  in  the  excitement 
of  the  morning  save  hardtack  and  bacon,  yet  some  of  us,  in  this 
fire,  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  the  way  this  coffee 
was  brought  to  us  is  worthy  of  note.  There  was,  as  already  stated, 
an  open  field  a  short  distance  in  our  rear,  in  which  was  located 
the  Chancellor  House.  After  the  seizure  of  Hazel  Grove  the 
Confederate  batteries  and  infantry  had  a  complete  range  of  the 
field ;  but,  notwithstanding  this  fact,  three  boys  of  our  division 
came  across  that  open  field  and  went  back  again  through  that  fire 
unscathed,  carrying  two  kettles  of  coffee.  These  boys  were 
Thomas  Lloyd,  of  Company  "  G  " ;  Caleb  Tipton,  of  Company 
"  K,"  1 25th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  Owen  Hicks,  of  Com 
pany  "  G,"  7th  Ohio,  formerly  a  Blair  and  Huntingdon  County 
boy ;  they  belonged  to  the  musicians  of  the  division,  and,  unmind 
ful  of  the  danger,  they  carried  through  that  storm  of  shot  and 
shell  good  cheer  and  comfort  to  the  boys  on  the  firing  line.  They 
were  joyously  received,  and  the  coffee  went  around  as  far  as  it 
would  go.  After  the  kettles  were  emptied  the  boys  went  back  to 
their  positions  to  perform  duty  to  wounded  comrades,  and  they 
were  among  the  first  to  greet  us  when  we  marched  into  our  new 
lines  later  in  the  day.  The  fire  from  the  Confederate  batteries  now 
became  severe,  and,  there  seeming  to  be  no  orders  from  any  one, 
Colonel  Higgins  debated  with  several  of  the  captains  whether  or 
not  he  should  withdraw,  and  was  anxiously  awaiting  an  order 
from  headquarters,  when  finally  General  Greene  came  down  the 
line,  at  the  head  of  the  third  brigade  and  gave  our  colonel  the 
necessary  order  to  withdraw,  and  by  his  direction  the  I25th  evac 
uated  its  works  and  moved  in  the  rear  of  the  third  brigade  to  the 
intersection  of  the  Plank  Road  with  the  main  road  to  Fredericks- 
burg.  Here  we  were  placed  in  line  of  battle  at  right  angles  to  our 
former  line,  in  the  open  field  in  front  of  the  Chancellor  House,  but 
again  we  were  moved  in  the  direction  of  Hazel  Grove,  and  again 
reoccupied  in  part  our  old  position  and  rifle  pits ;  in  fact,  that 
seemed  to  be  the  object  of  our  movement,  but  our  old  place  was 
too  much  of  a  target  for  the  Confederate  artillery,  and  we  soon 
moved  back  again  nearer  the  Chancellor  House.  From  that  point 


140 

we  could  plainly  see  the  enemy  forming  his  infantry  for  another 
forward  movement.  We  were  advanced  to  a  less  exposed  position 
nearer  the  enemy's  line,  protected,  however,  by  a  rise  in  the 
ground.  Whilst  executing  this  movement  the  first  brigade,  com 
manded  by  Colonel  Candy  (or  Creighton),  of  the  /th  Ohio, 
passed  through  our  regiment  and  divided  it,  and  a  part  of  the 
regiment  was  afterward  attached  to  this  command.  Soon  there 
after  we  were  advanced  a  little  further  up  the  field  and  directed 
to  lie  down  and  reserve  our  fire  until  we  should  receive  orders. 
The  enemy  commenced  to  move  out  of  the  woods  cautiously  and 
soon  came  within  easy  range,  when  a  well-directed  volley  from 
us  sent  them  back  to  the  woods  from  which  they  had  emerged. 
There  was  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  our  men  to  follow  them, 
but  again  we  were  ordered  to  lie  down,  and  soon  the  enemy 
advanced  a  second  time,  giving  their  usual  yell,  but  our  fire  was 
too  withering  for  them,  and,  despite  their  officers,  we  saw  them 
break,  turn  their  backs  and  seek  the  shelter  of  the  woods.  At  this 
time  the  Chancellor  House  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire.  It  had 
been  used  as  a  shelter  for  our  sick  and  a  hospital  for  our  wounded, 
and  also  in  part  as  headquarters,  but  was  abandoned  for  all  pur 
poses  except  as  a  hospital  since  quite  early  in  the  day.  Whilst  it 
was  burning,  details  were  made  to  care  for  and  look  after  our 
wounded,  and  every  possible  effort  put  forth  to  save  and  rescue 
them.  During  this  time  the  Confederates  were  rapidly  massing 
again  on  our  front  and  flank,  and  were  making  ready  for  another 
charge.  Solid  shot  and  screaming  shell  were  flying  about  and 
above  us,  and  the  pandemonium  of  the  night  before  seemed  to 
have  broken  loose  again.  Our  brave  officers,  however,  kept  us 
in  good  hope,  and  we  were  as  fully  determined  to  repel  our  enemy 
as  he  was  to  drive  us  from  the  field.  We  could  see  by  this  time  our 
old  rifle  pits  in  their  possession,  and  our  knapsacks  and  blankets, 
including  all  our  movables  and  keepsakes  from  home,  were  prey 
to  them ;  but  now  on  both  our  left  and  front  we  were  liable  to 
suffer  from  a  cross  fire,  and  to  severe  loss  in  our  ranks,  that 
were  already  reduced  to  a  minimum.  One  noble  boy,  Sergeant 
Avery,  we  think  it  was,  of  the  /th  Ohio,  was  wounded  severely 
in  the  body,  but  stoutly  refused  assistance  off  the  field,  saying  he 
could  get  along  by  himself.  We  have  never  seen  the  Sergeant 
since,  but  heard  of  him.  He  recovered  and  was  as  noble  and  gen 
erous  in  after  years  as  he  was  brave  on  the  morning  of  that  severe 


141 

battle.  The  third  attack  finally  came,  supported  by  artillery,  and 
again  it  was  our  pleasure  to  see  the  men  in  gray  turn  their  backs 
to  us,  and,  under  a  well-directed  fire,  seek  shelter  of  the  woods  at 
the  edge  of  that  field.  By  this  time  the  Chancellor  House  was 
almost  in  ruins  and  the  smoking  woods  warned  us  of  their  being 
on  fire.  Our  officers  now  saw  preparation  for  another  attack  in 
progress  of  formation,  both  in  our  front  and  on  our  left,  but  our 
artillery  had  gone  to  the  rear  and  there  were  apparently  no  troops 
on  the  field,  at  least  none  in  sight  except  our  own  second  division 
(Geary's)  of  the  Twelfth  Corps,  when  some  staff  officer  at  this 
time  ordered  us  to  retire,  and,  marching  by  the  right  flank,  at  a 
shoulder  arms,  we  abandoned  the  field,  and  with  a  last  look  at  the 
smoking  ruins  of  the  Chancellor  House  and  the  bloody  field  beyond 
we  passed  into  the  woods,  out  of  range  of  the  fire  of  the  muskets 
of  our  enemy,  and  away  from  the  active  scene  of  the  fearful  strife 
that  for  three  days  we  had  been  active  participants  in.  On  our 
march  to  the  rear  every  possible  aid  was  extended  to  the  wounded 
comrades  we  discovered  along  the  way,  and  details  searched  the 
burning  woods  so  that  none  would  be  left  there  to  perish.  The 
color-bearer  of  the  66th  Ohio  temporarily  detached  his  flag  from 
its  staff  so  he  could  get  through  the  woods  easier,  for  part  of  our 
way  was  through  a  thick  underbrush  that  skirted  a  small  stream 
that  we  followed  a  long  distance.  This  incident,  barring  the 
escapes  we  made  from  the  bursting  shells  of  the  enemy's  artillery 
that  were  thrown  after  us,  were  the  only  exciting  features  of  our 
hasty  yet  orderly  withdrawal.  Finally  we  reached  the  new  forma 
tion,  and  were  halted  in  rear  of  a  new  line  of  battle,  about  a  mile 
north  of  Chancellorsville,  in  the  direction  of  the  river.  Here  we 
were  again  subjected  to  a  short  but  severe  shelling  from  our 
exultant  foe,  who,  deeming  prudence  the  better  part  of  valor, 
seemed  to  be  content  that  we  should  for  the  balance  of  the  day 
have  peace.  Later  in  the  day,  however,  we  heard  the  rebel  "  yi ! 
yi ! !  yi ! ! !  "  in  the  distance  as  they  moved  off  to  attack  Sedgwick's 
men. 

It  is  not  much  of  a  great  battle  that  a  private  soldier  sees ;  in 
fact,  he  is  a  small  atom  of  a  great  force  such  as  was  in  action  in  a 
battle  like  Chancellorsville.  It  may  be  presumption  perhaps  for 
him  to  even  criticise,  yet  many  thinking  soldiers  of  the  Twelfth 
Corps  believe  General  Kane  was  right  when  he  wanted  to  take 
the  high  ground  on  Friday  afternoon,  of  which  we  have  spoken 


142 

and  an  investigation  made  of  the  passing  column  on  Saturday 
morning. 

It  is  said  that  the  army  was  without  a  commander  for  quite 
a  while  on  Sunday  morning,  and  that  this  largely  accounted  for 
our  misfortune  and  disaster.  Why  we  were  surprised  in  broad 
daylight  by  a  flank  movement  that  nearly  every  private  soldier 
of  the  Twelfth  and  Third  Corps  and  part  of  the  Eleventh  saw 
actively  moving  before  our  eyes,  without  hindrance,  is  one  of  the 
unexplained  mysteries  of  the  fearful  disaster. 

Whilst  we  lay  in  the  woods  hiding  we  could  hear  the  report 
of  the  firing  on  Sedgwick's  men  by  the  enemy,  at  Salem  Church, 
about  five  or  six  miles  away,  and  as  the  sound  grew  further  away 
we  knew  that  this  battle  was  also  going  against  our  men.  By 
evening  the  sounds  became  quite  distant,  and  we  learned  later 
that  Sedgwick  had  fallen  back  to  Fredericksburg,  and  that  .the 
heights  captured  by  him  at  that  place,  which  we  had  learned 
on  Saturday  were  ours,  were  likely  to  be  retaken  by  our  now 
apparently  invincible  foe.  A  heavy  rain  set  in  during  the  night 
and  made  our  quarters  very  uncomfortable. 

During  the  night  of  May  6th  we  recrossed  the  turbulent  Rap- 
pahannock,  over  a  rickety  pontoon  bridge,  with  a  route  step,  with  a 
crestfallen  feeling  of  disappointment,  misery  and  disgust.  The 
Rappahannock  had  risen  to  over  twice  its  usual  size  by  the  heavy 
rains.  Our  place  of  crossing  was  the  United  States  Ford,  several 
miles  below  the  ford  we  had  crossed  a  few  days  before  on  our 
march  to  the  battle.  We  were  certainly  a  different  lot  of  men; 
then  we  were  buoyant,  full  of  hope  and  cheer;  now  we  were 
disappointed  and  filled  with  wretchedness  and  misery,  and  hunger, 
for  we  had  scarcely  anything  to  eat  and  were  both  wet  and 
muddy.  After  reaching  the  high  ground  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
river  we  were  halted  near  a  run  called  Potomac  Creek,  where  we 
lay  for  the  balance  of  the  night.  Early  next  morning  we  moved 
in  the  direction  of  Stafford  Court  House,  which  place  we  reached 
about  noon,  and  were  there  treated  to  a  liberal  supply  of  good 
rations,  and  also  to  a  liberal  ration  of  whiskey,  which  was  in  this 
instance  a  real  help  and  relief  to  many  of  the  comrades,  who  were 
suffering  from  the  effect  of  the  severe  exposure  and  the  torrents 
of  rain  we  had  encountered.  Whilst  at  Stafford  Court  House  we 
were  complimented  by  our  corps  commander,  General  Slocum, 
for  the  endurance  we  exhibited  under  the  very  difficult  and  trying 


143 

circumstances  we  had  encountered.  General  Geary,  our  division 
commander,  also  addressed  us  in  a  similar  vein.  In  the  evening 
we  reached  our  old  camp,  near  Acquia  Creek  Landing,  and  there 
remained  until  we  were  sent  to  Harrisburg  through  Washington 
for  our  final  muster  out. 

Our  losses  at  Chancellorsville,  considering  the  exposed  posi 
tion  we  held,  the  lively  skirmish  of  Friday  and  the  battle  of  Sun 
day,  were  not  heavy ;  these  were,  five  killed,  twelve  wounded  and 
ten  captured.  There  were  several  slightly  wounded,  of  whom  no 
note  was  made.  The  killed,  wounded  and  captured  were  distrib 
uted  by  companies  as  follows : 

COMPANY   "A" 

Lieut.  Jesse  S.  Stewart,  killed ;  Corporal  George  C.  Davidson, 
wounded ;  Private  Charles  Clodius,  killed ;  Private  John  M.  Ester- 
line,  captured. 

COMPANY   "B" 

Sergeant  James  Houck,  wounded.  Private  Jacob  F.  Aurandt, 
killed.  Privates  William  B.  Blake,  William  Brunell,  Joseph  C. 
Garner,  John  D.  Love,  John  Richards  and  George  Winters, 
wounded.  Private  George  H.  Rhodes,  captured. 

COMPANY   "C" 

Private  Jeremiah  C.  Breneman,  wounded. 

COMPANY   "D" 

Private  David  W.  Oswalt,  killed.  Private  Andrew  Stewart, 
wounded  and  captured. 

COMPANY   "E" 

Sergeant  William  Nofker,  captured.  Corporal  Samuel  Stroup, 
wounded.  Privates  John  Benton  and  Levi  Leedom,  captured. 

COMPANY   "F" 

Privates  William  H.  Haugh,  John  D.  Lewis  and  Richard 
Owens,  captured. 

COMPANY   "G" 

Private  Theodore  Barr,  captured. 

COMPANY   "I" 

Private  John  W.  Scott,  killed. 


144 

COMPANY   "K" 

Corporal  John  A.  Mclntyre,  captured.  Private  Wilson  L. 
Akers,  wounded. 

This  ended,  so  far  as  our  regiment  was  concerned,  the  great 
battle  of  Chancellorsville,  and  soon  thereafter  our  term  of  service. 
We  had  hoped  to  be  a  part  of  an  invincible  army  that  was  to  win 
a  glorious  victory  for  our  cause ;  in  this  we  were,  like  the  country, 
sadly  disappointed.  Critics  all  agree  that  Hooker's  movement  at 
Chancellorsville  was  most  brilliant  in  its  conception  and  in  the 
preliminary  contests  leading  up  thereto,  but  the  battle  itself  was  a 
failure.  The  surprise  given  by  Jackson's  flank  attack  on  the 
Eleventh  Corps  has  been  criticized  by  all  leading  writers  in  their 
history  of  that  battle,  and  failure  to  prevent  it  pronounced  a 
blunder  on  the  part  of  some  one.  It  is  claimed  that  General  Von 
Gilsa,  whose  brigade  was  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  army,  had 
given  timely  notice  of  the  mysterious  movement  on  his  front,  but 
no  attention  was  paid  the  same,  and  the  right  flank  of  the  army  was 
not  strengthened,  and  when  the  attack  came  the  Federal  line  was 
too  weak  to  resist  the  strong  force  hurled  against  it.  To  this 
surprise,  and  the  abandonment  of  Hazel  Grove  on  Sunday  morn 
ing  and  the  subsequent  repulse  of  Sedgwick,  the  defeat  at  Chan 
cellorsville  can  be  attributed. 

Dedicated  to  the  vast  army  of  UNKNOWN  DEAD  who  sleep 
in  Fredericksburg  Cemetery,  who  gave  their  lives  at  Fredericks- 
burg,  Chancellorsville,  Spottsylvania  and  the  Wilderness  and 
rest  in  unknown  graves,  the  following  poem  was  read  at  Reunion 
of  the  I25th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  at  Altoona,  Pa.,  by  Mrs. 
M.  E.  Bewley. 

THE  UNKNOWN  DEAD. 

How  vast  the  multitude  of  dead 

That  'neath  thy  sod  doth  lie, 
Near    Fredericksburg,    in    earthy    bed 

Deaf  to  earth's  battle  cry. 

So    still,    so    peacefully    they    sleep, 

Their   swords   and  guns   laid  down, 
Unconsciously  they  wear  the  wreath 

That  victory's  brow  doth  crown. 


145 

Grave  unto  grave  doth  nestle  close 
Their  inmates  side  by  side, 

As  if  in  death  with  solid   front, 
To  face  the  foe  they  'd  ride. 

No  costly  monument  uprears 

Its   lofty   shaft   of   stone ; 
A    simple    slab    of   marble    white, 
And  simply  marked  "  Unknown," 

Marks  the  last  resting  place  of  those 
Who  died  afar  from  home, 

No   loving   friend  to  close   their   eyes 
Or  listen  to  their  moan. 

Unknown  but  not  unhonored  they, 
Their  country's  bravest,  best — 

Who  most  ungrudgingly  did  give 
Their  lives  at  war's  behest. 

With    flowers    rare   and   beautiful, 
Let   every   grave   be   strewn 

For  unto  God  whose  cause  they  served, 
Not   one   shall   be   "  Unknown." 

Not  one   forgotten   in  that   day 

When   He  shall   claim   his   own, 

When    wakened    by    the    trumpet's    call 

They'll  come  before  His  throne. 

Unknown,  amid  the  Nation's  dead 
Unknown,  by  friend  and  foe 

Unknown — on  earth — but  not  above 
For  God,  each  soul  doth  know. 

Then  loyal  tribute  let  us  pay 

To  every  soldier  brave, 
And  scatter  flowers  lavishly 

O'er   known   and   unknown    grave. 


10 


THE  SOLDIER'S  REVERIE. 


Composed,  and  dedicated  to  the  Comrades  of  the  I25th  Volunteer 
Infantry  of  Pennsylvania  in  commemoration  of  their  services  to  their 
country  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  by  J.  D.  Hicks. 

Boys,  I'm  thinking  of  the  camp  fire 

On   Potomac's   grassy  banks, 
When    in    days    of    rain    and    sunshine 

We  were  drilled  with  well-filled  ranks. 
Since  that  time  how  many  changes 

Have   come   o'er   life's   troubled   way, 
And  we  view  the  past  with  sadness, 

With  the  memories  of  that  day. 

Yet    the    flag,    our    glorious    banner, 
Waves  as  then  undimmed  and  bright, 

With  its  stars  and  stripes  untarnished 
As  the  world's   fair  beacon   light. 

When  the  order  came,  "  Fall  in  boys," 

For   the   march  —  we   knew   not   where  — 
And  the  bugle  sounded  forward 

Proudly  then  with  martial  air, 
As  we  marched,  and  marched  with  gladness, 

Our  young  hearts  were  filled  with  cheer, 
Little  thought  we  of  the  sadness 

That  would  soon  our  pleasures  mar. 

Soon  the  marching  led  to  battle, 

From  our  ranks  there  soon  were  borne, 
By  the  shots  and  shells  of  traitors, 

Comrades   killed   and   sorely  torn. 
Boys  who  bled,  but  never  faltered 

In  their  march  to  duty's  call, 
Men  who  knew  that  in  the  conflict, 

Many   brave   wer,e   bound   to   fall. 

We  remember  well  the  order 

For  our  final  muster  out, 
When   for   victory,    home   and   country, 

The  air  was  rent  with  cheer  and  shout. 
146 


147 

Yet  the  thought  of  our  dear  comrades, 
Who  with  us  had  marched  away, 

Whom   we   left   behind    in   sorrow, 
Bowed  our  heads  in  tears  that  day. 

When  we  reached  our  homes  and  fireside, 

Victory  ours,  the  Union  won 
From  the  schemes  and  hands  of  traitors, 

Our   good   work   complete   and    done. 
Again    we    sadly   thought   of   comrades, 

Who  with  us  had  marched  away, 
Who  looked  forward  to  the  welcome 

We  received  at  home  that  day. 

Oh,   our  country,  blessed  country, 

Precious  blood  it  cost  to  save, 
And  of  treasures  many  millions, 

Yet  'tis  worth  all  that  we  gave. 
'Tis  a  land  of  glorious  freedom, 

Land  that  we  have  helped  to  save, 
Land   of  homes   and   land  of  comfort, 

Homes  of  free  and  homes  of  brave. 

And  our  flag,  that  dear  old  banner, 
Waves  aloft  undimmed  and  bright, 

With  its  stars  and  stripes  untarnished, 
'Tis  our  own   fair  beacon  light. 


-ON  THE    MARCH  AND   IN  FIRE  OF 

BATTLE" 
By  DR.  THEODORE  L.  FLOOD, 

SECOND   LIEUTENANT,   CO.   C.,    i25th  REGIMENT,    P.    V. 

Theodore  L.  Flood,  Second  Lieutenant  Company  C,  was  born  at 
Williamsburg,  Pa.,  in  1842.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  C 
August  7th,  1862,  and  was  successively  promoted  to  orderly  Sergeant  and 
Second  Lieutenant.  He  was  an  efficient  officer  and  served  faithfully 
with  his  regiment  in  all  its  marches  and  battles  during  its  whole  term  of 
service;  when  mustered  out  in  May  1863  he  entered  the  ministry  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church ;  in  later  years  he  became  the  editor  and 
publisher  of  the  "  Chatauquan,"  at  Meadville,  Pa.,  a  journal  which,  under 
his  vigorous  administration,  wielded  a  widely  extended  influence  in 
religious  channels.  As  a  public  spirited  citizen  and  a  ready  public 
speaker  his  name  was  presented  by  his  fellow  citizens  of  that  district 
as  a  prominent  candidate  for  Congress  in  a  recent  contest  for  that  position. 

W.  W.  W. 
149 


"ON  THE  MARCH  AND  IN  FIRE  OF 
BATTLE"* 

¥ 
BY  THEODORE  L.   FLOOD. 

When  President  Abraham  Lincoln  was  organizing  an  army 
to  defeat  the  Southern  Confederacy  he  found  no  people  more  loyal 
to  the  old  flag  than  in  Pennsylvania,  whose  sons  had  been  educated 
during  all  the  life  of  the  Republic  to  follow  peaceful  pursuits  and 
to  dwell  in  unity  in  their  happy  homes.  At  Huntingdon,  the 
county-seat  of  Huntingdon  County,  a  community  of  4,000  souls 
nestled  in  a  valley  between  the  hills,  located  on  the  line  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Central  Railroad  and  the  headquarters  of  the  Hunt 
ingdon  and  Broad  Top  Railroad  Company,  there  was  a  prosperous 
community,  and  the  blue  Juniata  River  flowing  by  made  it  a 
delightful  old  town,  as  it  is  to  this  day.  It  was  the  home  of  John 
Scott,  afterwards  United  States  Senator;  R.  Milton  Speer,  after 
wards  a  member  of  Congress,  and  R.  Bruce  Petriken,  afterwards 
a  State  Senator,  and  of  Hon.  George  D.  Taylor,  present  Judge  of 
the  judicial  district.  These  dignitaries,  with  a  number  of  men  of 
large  wealth  for  the  times,  gave  to  the  community  a  good  deal  of 
distinction  in  the  commonwealth  and  inspired  her  citizens  with  a 
feeling  of  genuine  pride  in  the  town  and  its  history. 

The  call  of  the  President  in  1862  for  volunteers  to  increase 
the  army  of  the  Union  stirred  and  stimulated  the  hearts  of  the 
patriotic  sons  of  Huntingdon  and  Blair  Counties  to  such  action 
that  the  I25th  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  was  recruited 
from  this  territory.  This  chapter  in  the  history  of  this  regiment 
is  laid  among  these  young  men  as  they  organized  and  marched 
away  to  join  the  Union  forces,  in  August,  1862.  One  of  the 
most  effective  and  heroic  soldiers  of  this  regiment  was  Captain 
William  W.  Wallace,  then  associated  with  his  uncle,  R.  B.  Wigtori, 


*  This  article  is  made  up  from  records  in  a  diary  kept  by  Theodore 
L.  Flood  when  he  was  a  Lieutenant  in  Co.  C,  I25th  Regiment,  and  now 
used  for  the  first  time. 
150 


151 

in  coal  mining  operations  in  the  Broad  Top  territory,  with  their 
offices  located  in  Huntingdon.    Captain  Wallace  invited  the  writer 
into  his  office,  where  he  talked  about  the  war  and  the  duty  of 
young  men  to  stand  up  for  the  Government  by  responding  to  the 
call  of  the  President,  and  as  the  only  direct  way  to  do  this  was  by 
enlisting  in  the  army,  Captain  Wallace  suggested  that  we  open 
books  and  recruit  as  many  men  as  possible  in  one  or  more  com 
panies,  and  in  his  characteristic  way  also  suggested  that  we  ought 
to  do  it  in  the  name  of  God  and  religion.     So  he  proposed  that 
we  organize  the  Huntingdon  County  Bible  Company,  every  man 
to  take  his  Bible  with  his  musket,  and  that  when  we  enter  the 
service  we  have  company  prayers  in  the  morning  after  roll-call,  and 
that  the  company  ought  to  have  a  motto,  which  was  selected  then 
and  there — "  In  God  We  Trust."     This  motto  was  afterwards 
placed  on  the  coin  of  the  United  States  at  the  Mint  in  Philadel 
phia,  and  remains  there  to  this  day.     It  was  further  agreed  that 
we  should  hang  the  American  flag  on  the  outer  wall  over  the  door 
of  the  office,  and  publish  in  the  newspapers  and  by  distributing 
circulars  all  over  the  county  set  forth  our  purposes  and  aims. 
When  these  preliminaries  were  arranged,  Captain  Wallace  then 
said  to  me,  in  the  most  matter-of-fact  way,  "  I  will  close  the  door, 
turn  the  key,  and  you  and  I  will  go  into  the  back  part  of  the  office 
and  kneel  down  together  and  pray  to  God  for  the  success  of  this 
organization  before  a  name  is  signed  to  the  roll."     Accordingly  we 
then  and  there,  with  the  door  locked,  knelt  and  prayed  that  God 
might  direct  the  minds  of  the  young,  loyal,  strong  men  to  enlist 
at  this  time  and  place  as  soldiers  in  the  United  States  army.    The 
Captain   was  a  Presbyterian,  but  was   not  accustomed  to  pray 
audibly,  and  I  was  asked  to  lead  in  audible  prayer,  which  I  did. 
When  our  devotions  were  ended  the  door  was  opened  and  the 
books  were  placed  on  the  desk.     Our  names  headed  the  list,  and 
we  invited  young  men  who  would  join  to  subscribe  their  names  to 
the  roll.     In  a  few  days  there  were  nearly  two  hundred  names 
attached  to  that  call.    This  was  the  gathering  of  men  which  made 
Company  "  C,"  and  parts  of  other  companies  in  the  I25th  Regi 
ment.     We  reported  to  Governor  Curtin  that  we  were  ready  to 
march,  and  were  accepted. 

When  we  reached  Harrisburg  we  were  all  privates.  Company 
"  C  "  was  the  first  organized.  William  W.  Wallace  was  elected 
captain ;  William  B.  Zeigler,  former  sheriff  of  Huntingdon 


152 

County,  was  made  first  lieutenant,  and  William  F.  McPherran  was 
made  second  lieutenant.  I  was  made  first  sergeant.  John  J. 
Lawrence,  then  superintendent  of  the  Huntingdon  and  Broad  Top 
Railroad  Company,  was  elected  captain  of  Company  "  F,"  and  a 
few  days  later,  when  the  regiment  selected  officers,  he  was  made 
major.  The  colonel,  Jacob  Higgins,  came  from  Blair  County, 
and  the  lieutenant-colonel,  Jacob  S.  Szink,  from  Altoona,  Blair 
County.  The  adjutant,  Robert  M.  Johnston,  was  from  Williams- 
burg,  Blair  County.  Ours  was  made  Company  "  C  "  and  honored 
by  being  made  color  company,  and  George  A.  Simpson,  of  Hunt 
ingdon,  was  made  color-bearer. 

In  less  than  three  weeks  from  the  time  this  regiment  was 
recruited,   it  commenced   active  work  and   encountered   exciting 
experiences,  a  part  of  which  I  will  give  to  the  reader  in  this 
article.     We  were  transported  to  Harrisburg,  and  from  Harris- 
burg  to  Washington,  on  freight  cars.    The  battle  of  Bull  Run  was 
fought,  and  we  helped  for  several  days  to  throw  up  breastworks 
at  Arlington  Heights  for  the  protection  of  Washington,  and  then 
marched  to  South  Mountain,  reaching  there  on  Sunday  evening, 
just  as  the  battle  of  South  Mountain  was  finished.    We  heard  the 
roar  of  cannon  and  musketry  most  of  the  day,  while  marching 
toward  the  scene  of  conflict.     We  then  took  up  the  line  of  march 
on  Monday,  and,  under  the  leadership  of  General  McClellan,  who 
commanded  the  army,  and  General  Mansfield,  as  our  corps  com 
mander,  we  marched  to  the  battlefield  of  Antietam,  where  we 
went  into  that  awful  conflict  early  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday, 
the  seventeenth  day  of  September.    While  waiting  in  line  of  battle 
for  orders  to  advance  and  fire,  Adjutant  Johnston,  of  our  regi 
ment,  was  mortally  wounded  and  died  in  a  few  hours.    The  battle 
was  on  in  full  force.     Confederate  pickets  were  shooting  down 
our  officers,  shells  were  flying  over  our  heads,  horses  and  men 
lay  dead  on  the  field.    We  were  ordered  forward  in  line  of  battle, 
and  Captain  Wallace  stepped  out  in  front  of  the  company,  waving 
his  sword,  and  called  out,  "  Boys,  remember  our  battle-cry,  '  In 
God  We  Trust.'  '     This  was  taken  up  as  a  battle-cry  by  adjoining 
companies  along  the  line,  until  we  reached  the  edge  of  a  woods, 
where  we  were  halted  and  ordered  to  fire.    The  enemy  met  us  with 
a  heavy  charge.    We  could  see  them  coming  in  line  of  battle  as  we 
loaded  and  fired.     General  Mansfield  fell  mortally  wounded  just 
in  the  right  front  of  our  regiment  while  reconnoitring.    The  blood 


153 

from  his  wound  reddened  his  long  white  beard.  As  we  stood 
firing  into  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  the  second  man  to  me,  George 
A.  Simpson,  while  bravely  holding  the  flag  aloft,  was  hit  with  a 
bullet  from  a  Confederate  gun,  which  pierced  his  brain,  and  he 
fell  dead.  A  second  man  picked  up  the  flag,  and  he  was  shot 
down.  A  third,  and  he  fell;  the  fourth  took  it  up,  and  he  was 
shot  and  fell.  Then  Sergeant  W.  W.  Greenland  picked  up  the 
flag,  stained  with  the  blood  of  Simpson,  and  Captain  Wallace, 
taking  it  in  charge,  carried  it  across  the  field  to  the  rear  of  the 
nearest  battery,  and  there  he,  aided  by  Captains  Bell  and 
McKeage  and  Lieutenant  Thomas  McCamant,  rallied  about  two 
hundred  of  the  regiment,  who  remained  in  support,  while  our 
batteries  operated  with  deadly  execution  upon  the  enemy,  during 
the  rest  of  the  conflict. 

The  conflict  was  raging  all  along  the  line  of  the  army ;  the  Con 
federates  were  pressing  us  hard ;  our  line  was  broken,  and  a 
new  line  of  battle  was  formed  in  the  rear.  Two  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  men  of  our  regiment  were  killed  and  wounded  in  about 
twenty  minutes ;  of  these  84  were  slightly  wounded,  but  not  dis 
abled,  and  therefore  were  not  reported.  It  was  a  dreadful  struggle 
and  we  were  thrust  into  the  very  furnace  of  battle.  But,  as 
another  comrade  has' described  the  battle  of  Antietam  in  graphic 
style  in  this  book,  it  will  be  my  purpose  to  indulge  in  reminiscences 
of  the  regiment  in  this  article,  rather  than  in  accurate  historical 
detail.  When  evening  came  this  great  battle  was  at  an  end,  and 
the  serious  duty  then  fell  upon  the  surviving  soldiers  to  gather 
up  the  bodies  of  the  dead  and  give  them  a  respectable  and  Chris 
tian  burial,  and  to  look  with  tender  care  after  the  wounded  and 
dying,  and  minister  to  their  wants,  and  it  was  not  until  then  that 
we  ascertained  the  full  extent  of  the  terrible  loss  that  our  regi 
ment  had  suffered  in  killed  and  wounded,  especially  in  the  death 
of  George  A.  Simpson,  the  wounding  of  his  brother  and  disabling- 
of  others.  Our  losses  were  increased  when,  soon  after  this  battle, 
Lieutenant  McPherran,  of  Company  "  C,"  beloved  by  all  his  men, 
was  stricken  with  disease  and  died.  These  calamities  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  company  that  continued  to  the  end  of  our  enlistment. 
Very  promptly  Governor  Curtin  sent  a  commission  as  lieutenant 
to  the  writer  to  succeed  Lieutenant  McPherran,  and  I  was  mus 
tered  by  General  Crawford  to  fill  this  important  place.  Company 
"  C  "  carried  the  flag  of  the  regiment  successfully  on  all  our 


154 

marches  and  through  two  battles  (Antietam  and  Chancellors ville), 
and  it  was  the  pride  of  all  our  men  that  we  brought  our  colors 
back  to  Harrisburg,  where  we  marched  under  its  folds  on  the 
day  we  were  honorably  discharged  from  the  service. 

General  Lee  very  promptly  led  his  army  toward  Richmond. 
To  our  surprise,  it  was  found  the  second  morning,  after  the 
eventful  seventeenth  of  September,  that  he  had  vacated  the  field. 
General  McClellan  did  not  follow  him  closely,  for  our  regiment 
remained  at  Antietam  battlefield  until  Friday  morning,  Septem 
ber  iQth,  engaged  in  looking  after  the  wounded  and  burying  the 
dead.  Our  first  real  regimental  camp  was,  soon  after  this,  located 
near  Harper's  Ferry,  but  a  short  distance  from  where  John  Brown 
made  his  famous  raid  and  subsequently  met  his  tragic  death.  We 
did  picket  duty  on  Loudon  Heights  and  in  the  valleys  below.  No 
fires  were  allowed  to  burn  on  those  heights  in  that  month  of  Sep 
tember  ;  the  enemy  were  too  near,  and  the  fires  would  reveal  that 
which  we  did  not  want  them  to  know  about  us  or  our  location. 

This  proved  to  be  a  temporary  camp,  monotonous  and  quiet. 
A  soldier's  life  runs  from  great  excitement  in  battle  to  the  extreme 
quiet  of  tent  life  in  camp.  We  were  on  guard  and  picket  duty, 
issuing  rations  and  attending  roll-call,  passing  inspection  of  arms, 
clothing  and  quarters,  drilling  in  squads,  companies,  regiments 
and  brigades ;  doing  duty  at  target  practice,  looking  after  the  sick 
and  occasionally  burying  the  dead,  for  at  the  foot  of  Loudon 
Heights  we  laid  to  rest  two  men  of  Company  "  C  "  who  died  in 
bed  as  peacefully  as  if  in  the  homes  of  their  loved  ones. 

We  were  in  camp  near  Stafford  Court  House  and  Acquia  Creek 
Landing  during  the  latter  part  of  the  winter  and  in  the  spring. 
Our  soldier  life  now  commenced  to  be  filled  with  new  excitement. 
General  McClellan  had  previously  been  retired  and  General  Burn- 
side  made  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  We 
were  not  called  upon  to  take  part  in  the  conflict  at  Fredericksburg, 
but  were  held  as  a  reserve  that  was  never  ordered  into  action  on 
that  bloody  field.  The  soldierly  desire  to  exchange  the  dreary 
life  in  camp  for  the  active  duties  of  the  march  and  battle  was 
manifest  in  our  regiment.  Nearly  all  the  soldiers  were  young 
men,  the  blood  flowed  quickly  in  their  veins,  and  at  first  it  was  a 
positive  disappointment  to  many  that  we  could  not  march  with 
guns  and  ammunition  into  the  battle.  We  could  hear  the  cannon 
ading  in  the  distance  on  that  fateful  day.  We  expected  to  go,  but 


155 

when  we  learned  that  the  conflict  was  at  an  end  and  our  army 
was  repulsed,  we  settled  back  into  quarters  to  wait  patiently  for 
the  next  move. 

After  this  great  battle  it  was  General  Burnside's  turn  to  retire 
from  the  command.  General  Hooker  was  advanced  to  his  place. 
Up  to  this  date  it  seemed  that  every  battle  was  fought  by  a  new 
commander.  Pope  at  Bull  Run;  McClellan  at  Antietam;  Burn- 
side  at  Fredericksburg,  and  now  Hooker.  The  rank  and  file  had 
high  hopes  that  Fighting  Joe  Hooker  would  be  a  great  success 
as  commander  of  this  army,  because  he  had  won  fame  among 
the  men  as  a  great  general. 

About  this  time  Al.  Snyder,  a  fine  telegraph  operator,  a  mem 
ber  of  Company  "  C  "  and  of  the  writer's  mess,  was  detailed  to 
report  to  Hooker's  headquarters  for  special  duty.  Snyder  could 
read  a  telegram  by  the  sound  of  the  instrument.  It  was  a  rare 
accomplishment  in  those  days,  because  he  would  not  leave  any 
telltale  messages  on  paper  for  the  enemy  in  case  of  a  raid.  The 
army  officer  in  charge  of  the  United  States  military  telegraph 
service  discovered  his  value  and  took  him  to  Falmouth  to  be  one 
of  General  Hooker's  confidential  telegraph  operators.  On  the 
twenty-eighth  day  of  March,  1863,  I  visited  Snyder,  when  we 
each  on  horseback  rode  to  the  Rappahannock,  and  from  the  north 
side  viewed  Fredericksburg,  the  scene  of  the  recent  struggle. 
After  our  explorations  we  returned  to  sleep  in  a  caboose,  where 
the  telegraph  instrument  clicked  at  intervals  all  the  night  long. 
I  learned  here  that  it  would  not  be  two  moons  until  we  would  be 
in  a  great  battle  again.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  very 
promptly  reorganized  and  fully  equipped  for  the  struggle.  The 
strongest  hopes  of  civilians  and  soldiers  from  the  President  down 
were  centered  in  Hooker  and  his  army.  The  disappointment  at 
Fredericksburg  called  for  great  courage  and  better  plans  for  the 
coming  campaign,  and  everybody  believed  that  they  would  be 
forthcoming. 

My  curiosity  was  excited  when  I  learned  how  little  a  man  who 
was  as  close  to  Hooker  as  Snyder  was  knew  about  the  interior 
workings  of  the  great  general's  office,  and  how  little  he  could  tell, 
though  we  were  confidential  friends,  of  the  plans  of  the  campaign. 
On  my  return  to  camp  I  could  give  the  boys  general  informa 
tion,  but  very  little  that  enlightened  or  satisfied  them. 

The  next  morning  after  that  visit  was  April  the  fourth,  and  it 


156 

was  well  remembered  for  years  afterward,  because  there  was  a 
heavy  fall  of  snow  in  our  part  of  old  Virginia,  which  made  the 
country  look  like  a  veritable  winter,  but  on  the  following  day, 
under  the  rays  of  the  sun,  it  soon  melted  and  left  the  roads  almost 
impassable. 

One  of  the  happy  days  of  the  I25th  Regiment  was  April  10, 
1863.  It  was  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  we  were  in 
line  marching  toward  Stafford  Court  House,  to  be  reviewed  by 
President  Lincoln.  The  music  of  the  drum  corps,  the  cornet 
bands,  the  aides-de-camp  hurrying  to  and  fro,  and  the  long  column 
of  soldiers,  soon  led  us  to  see  that  our  brigade  and  division,  indeed 
the  whole  of  the  Twelfth  Army  Corps,  was  moving  to  the  open 
field.  When  we  reached  the  place  assigned  to  us,  we  were  ordered 
at  parade  rest,  and  waited  some  three  hours,  when  the  President, 
with  General  Hooker,  appeared,  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  following 
closely  in  a  carriage.  On  their  arrival,  a  salute  of  twenty-one 
rounds  was  fired  from  a  battery  on  the  hill.  The  officers  of  the 
line  appeared  in  their  best  uniforms,  with  glittering  shoulder- 
straps  and  well  burnished  swords. 

Following  in  the  President's  train  was  our  corps  commander, 
General  Slocum;  General  Geary,  our  division  commander,  and 
General  Kane,  who  commanded  our  brigade.  There  were  also 
General  Williams  and  Generals  Green  and  Knipe,  and  enough  of 
other  generals,  colonels  and  officers  to  make  a  company.  It  was 
the  first  time  the  President  had  visited  this  part  of  the  army. 
The  soldiers  gave  him  a  generous  reception.  They  cheered  wildly, 
until  all  along  the  Confederate  line  in  front  of  us  curiosity  was 
awakened  as  to  what  had  taken  possession  of  the  Twelfth  Army 
Corps. 

The  President's  personal  appearance  distinguished  him  among 
the  multitude  of  officers  by  whom  he  was  surrounded.  Not  a 
sign  of  being  a  soldier  did  he  wear.  He  was  of  tall,  slender  form, 
a  little  bent  forward  at  the  shoulders,  dressed  in  plain  black, 
wearing  a  frock  coat  and  a  high  silk  hat,  seated  on  a  small  bay 
horse,  with  his  long  legs  hanging  down  until  his  feet  nearly 
touched  the  ground.  He  was  the  most  conspicuous  person  among 
the  marshalled  thousands  on  Stafford  field  that  day.  Every  eye 
followed  him  in  all  his  movements.  The  President,  with  General 
Hooker,  rode  up  and  then  down  in  front  of  the  lines  of  their 
proud  soldiers,  who  stood  at  present  arms.  They  then  located 


157 

themselves  on  an  elevated  piece  of  ground,  and  the  Army  Corps, 
with  General  Slocum  seated  on  his  horse  at  the  head  of  the  col 
umn,  marched  in  review,  by  division,  in  close  order.  It  was  a 
magnificent  array  of  pioneers,  infantry,  cavalry,  artillery  and 
ambulance  corps,  with  officers  on  horseback  and  on  foot.  All  with 
good  cheer,  firm  step  and  heads  erect,  marched  past  Abraham 
Lincoln,  the  man  they  idolized,  and  the  President  whose  call  had 
brought  every  soldier  into  his  place  in  line.  He  was  an  inspira 
tion  to  the  army,  and  his  visit  was  worth  an  additional  division 
to  that  corps. 

The  return  to  camp  ended  a  long  and  tiresome  day,  but  every 
man  had  new  nerve  for  the  march  to  come,  because  he  had  seen 
President  Lincoln. 

On  the  following  day  began  a  series  of  alarms,  but  this  was 
undoubtedly  caused  by  the  enthusiasm  of  the  army  and  the  appear 
ance  of  the  President.  The  following  day  cannonading  and  mus 
ketry  were  heard  in  the  direction  of  Stafford.  Our  regiment  was 
ordered  into  line  ready  for  the  march,  and  after  waiting  for  more 
than  two  hours  we  were  ordered  to  quarters  and  the  cry  began, 
"  false  alarm." 

But  these  alarms  grew  more  frequent  as  the  days  passed  by. 
The  officers  commenced  to  send  their  best  uniforms  and  dress 
swords  home  by  express ;  requests  for  furloughs  were  not  being 
granted  as  heretofore.  The  soldiers  going  on  picket  duty  were 
given  stricter  orders ;  the  lines  were  being  drawn  tighter,  and 
army  discipline  grew  more  exacting.  On  April  the  fourteenth, 
very  early  in  the  morning,  the  regiment  was  aroused,  beds  were 
vacated  and  all  the  men  were  quickly  in  line.  It  meant  that  the 
officers  were  called  to  assemble  at  Colonel  Higgins'  headquarters. 
As  they  were  gathered  about  the  front  of  his  tent  the  adjutant  read 
an  order  from  headquarters  that  every  soldier  should  have  five 
days'  rations  in  his  knapsack  and  three  days'  rations  in  haver 
sacks — in  all,  rations  for  eight  days.  Each  man  was  to  have 
sixty  rounds  of  cartridge  in  his  cartridge  box  and  enough  in  the 
wagons  to  make  one  hundred  and  fifty  rounds  to  each  man.  We 
were  also  to  be  ready  to  move  at  a  moment's  notice.  In  other 
words,  rest  on  our  arms.  Every  man  who  had  applied  for  a 
furlough  now  quickly  sent  word  withdrawing  the  application, 
for  no  man  with  the  spirit  of  a  soldier  desired  to  have  his  applica 
tion  in  for  a  furlough  when  the  order  to  march  to  the  field  of 


158 

battle  had  been  issued  and  the  very  atmosphere  of  every  company 
was  that  of  war. 

Our  A  tents  were  struck  and  turned  in  to  the  quartermaster. 
The  smaller  shelter  tents  that  each  soldier  could  carry  were  issued. 
Heavy  rains  commenced  to  fall  that  night,  and  for  two  days  and 
nights  the  downpour  of  rain  made  the  roads  muddy  and  prevented 
the  moving  of  heavy  trains  and  artillery.  It  looked  as  if  we  were 
destined  to  remain  in  camp  for  some  days,  until  the  roads  were 
passable. 

From  the  day  I  returned  from  my  visit  to  Snyder  in  his  tele 
graph  caboose  we  expected  the  army  would  move.  In  what  direc 
tion  and  for  what  destination  nobody  could  tell,  except  in  a  general 
way  we  expected  to  go  to  battle.  "  On  to  Richmond  "  was  a 
conspicuous  and  popular  headline  for  newspapers,  and  it  was  a 
common  topic  in  the  conversation  of  restless  politicians  all  over 
the  North.  It  was  often  used  in  derision  by  men  who  opposed 
the  war,  because  they  thought  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  would 
never  make  a  successful  advance  against  General  Lee.  However, 
the  time  had  come  for  another  march  and  another  battle. 

The  common  soldier  knew  that  there  was  but  one  thing  to 
do — obey  orders,  to  do  it  cheerfully  and  with  courage.  At  four 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  the  twenty-seventh  the  reveille 
called  us  from  sleep  to  arms.  At  seven  o'clock  the  Twelfth  Army 
Corps,  with  full  ranks,  was  in  line  on  the  road  and  marching  to 
what  proved  to  be  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville.  We  did  not  know 
where  the  battle  would  be  fought  nor  when  it  would  be  fought, 
nor  whether  we  would  be  in  the  fight  or  left  as  a  reserve  that 
would  not  be  called  into  action  at  all. 

We  marched  about  ten  miles  the  first  day.  The  roads  were 
not  in  good  condition,  but  sunshine  and  a  favorable  breeze 
improved  them  every  hour.  When  night  came  the  soldiers  were 
footsore  and  weary,  so  that  a  rubber  blanket  for  a  mattress  spread 
on  the  ground  was  a  welcome  bed.  The  march  was  resumed 
vigorously  the  following  morning,  and  ended  when  the  day  was 
gone  within  a  mile  of  Kelly's  Ford.  General  Hooker  and  his  staff 
passed  our  regiment  while  we  were  at  dinner,  at  noon,  which 
indicated  that  the  whole  army  was  on  the  march,  and  caused  all 
sorts  of  rumors  to  pass  along  the  line. 

We  did  not  know  where  the  army  would  make  a  stand  or 
which  army,  Northern  or  Southern,  would  make  the  attack.  At 


159 

daylight  on  the  twenty-ninth  we  could  see  what  seemed  to  be  a 
never-ending  line  of  soldiers.  We  were  marching  in  a  great 
column,  as  we  were  the  day  before.  The  Eleventh  Army  Corps 
crossed  the  Rappahannock  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  on  pontoons 
which  were  placed  during  the  previous  evening.  They  were 
to  form  the  right  wing  of  the  army  in  the  battle,  so  they  went 
over  the  river  first. 

The  Union  cavalry  captured  a  band  of  Confederate  soldiers 
that  morning  a  short  distance  from  our  regiment,  and  about  a 
mile  from  the  river.  Among  them  was  a  lieutenant.  And  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day  our  cavalry  swept  down  on  sixty  Con 
federates  who  were  building  a  bridge  at  the  Rapidan,  and  made 
prisoners  of  all. 

After  a  march  of  about  seven  miles  we  reached  the  place 
on  the  Rapidan  where  our  regiment,  with  most  of  the  Twelfth 
Corps,  marched  across,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  It  was  a 
dark  night  and  a  dangerous  crossing,  but  with  a  dark  sky  for 
a  background,  six  bonfires  burned  brightly  to  light  us  on  our  way, 
making  a  weird  and  beautiful  moving  picture. 

We  camped  in  the  night  on  the  south  side  of  the  Rapidan, 
while  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  soaking  clothing,  blankets  and  food, 
but  sleep  was  sweet  to  tired  men,  even  in  the  enemy's  country, 
and  when  we  awakened  early  in  the  morning  it  seemed  that  the 
night  had  been  too  short.  The  thirtieth  day  of  April  had  come, 
and  we  were  again  on  the  tramp,  and  kept  moving  until  we  made 
a  junction  with  the  Fifth  Army  Corps  in  front  of  the  brick  tavern, 
where  we  were  ordered  to  camp.  We  learned  later  that  it  was  the 
field  of  Chancellorsville,  where  great  and  daring  deeds  were  now 
to  take  place.  The  cavalry  of  the  Fifth  Corps  dashed  up  in  rear 
of  a  company  of  Confederates  while  they  were  digging  a  rifle 
pit  and  captured  the  whole  band,  but  not  until  they  had  killed  one 
of  our  men  and  four  horses,  while  they  were  making  the  charge. 

After  we  were  adjusted  in  camp,  I  visited  the  prisoners  and 
learned  that  there  were  one  hundred  of  them,  including  eight 
officers.  Here  the  I25th  Regiment,  for  about  a  mile  in  front  and 
to  the  right,  was  to  do  its  part  in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville. 
This  was  to  be  our  place  in  the  long  line  of  battle,  and  it  demon 
strated  how  pleasant  memories  and  stern  war  come  together.  It 
was  Friday  morning  and  May  Day.  Our  regiment  was  located 
in  front  of  the  brick  tavern,  to  the  right  of  the  Plank  Road. 


160 

Word  was  passed  along  the  line  that  General  Hooker  had  arrived 
during  the  night,  and  located  his  headquarters  in  the  tavern. 

It  was  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  when  the  advance  of  the 
Fifth  Corps  and  ours,  the  Twelfth,  marched  out  about  a  mile  in 
front  of  the  brick  tavern.  General  Sykes'  division  had  been  firing 
on  the  enemy  and  drew  their  fire.  The  i25th  Regiment  was  in 
advance  of  our  corps.  We  unslung  knapsacks,  formed  in  line  of 
battle  and  advanced  across  the  field  and  through  a  swamp  over 
grown  with  underbrush  and  tall  trees.  At  this  time  the  Confed 
erates  and  General  Sykes'  men  were  exchanging  fire  rapidly. 
Skirmish  lines  were  driven  in,  the  cannon  roared,  musketry  fire 
was  brisk  in  both  armies,  shells  flew  over  our  heads,  and  finally 
the  Twelfth  United  States  Regulars  charged  on  a  Confederate 
battery  and  were  repulsed.  Our  regiment  was  supported  by  the 
rest  of  the  brigade,  and  we  made  a  junction  with  the  right  wing, 
which  proved  to  be  General  Greene's  line  of  battle. 

After  we  had  marched  within  one-fourth  of  a  mile  of  a  Con 
federate  battery,  a  retreat  was  ordered  and  executed  to  the  place 
where  we  had  unslung  knapsacks.  Here  we  laid  down  flat  on 
the  ground  under  orders  to  await  developments.  In  a  few  min 
utes  a  retreat  on  double-quick  was  ordered  to  the  camp  we  occu 
pied  the  previous  night,  in  front  of  the  brick  tavern.  The  Con 
federate  skirmishers  followed  us  closely,  and  their  artillery  contin 
ued  firing  until  we  made  a  stand.  We  quickly  re-formed  our  line 
of  battle  and  laid  down,  the  Confederate  fire  passing  over  us. 

Immediately  the  Confederate  cavalry  made  a  charge  down 
the  Plank  Road,  while  their  infantry  came  out  of  the  woods  in 
front  of  us,  at  the  same  time  making  a  charge  on  one  of  our 
batteries  at  the  crossroads.  They  were  driven  back  with  grape 
and  canister,  and  the  28th  Pennsylvania  charged  on  their  rear. 
The  Confederates  engaged  our  artillery  on  our  right  and  our 
infantry  in  supporting  them  made  a  charge  and  were  repulsed. 
The  battle  of  Chancellorsville  was  on,  and  as  we  held  our  position 
on  the  right  of  the  Plank  Road,  General  Geary  rode  up,  waving 
his  sword,  and  said,  "  For  God's  sake,  get  your  men  off  that 
Plank  Road.  The  Rebels  are  planting  a  battery  up  there  and  will 
sweep  them  away." 

On  the  night  of  May  first,  1863,  the  sky  was  clear  and  the 
moon  was  shining  brightly.  All  nature  told  us  that  spring  had 
come.  But  we  were  at  war.  The  Eleventh  Corps  was  on  the  right 


161 

wing  of  the  army,  and  General  Howard  was  in  command.  The 
gauge  of  battle  was  set,  and  we  were  now  placed  in  the  long  line 
of  soldiers  where  we  were  to  do  our  part  in  the  struggle.  We 
heard  General  Hooker's  order  read  to  the  army,  urging  every  man 
to  do  his  duty  by  fighting  bravely  for  his  country  and  the  flag. 

The  soldiers  all  along  our  line  commenced  throwing  up  breast 
works,  by  heaping  poles  and  logs  and  stumps  of  trees.  Then 
we  dug  up  the  earth  with  our  bayonets  and  shoveled  it  upon  the 
logs  with  our  hands  and  the  tin  plates  upon  which  we  had  eaten 
our  plain  meals.  Late  in  the  night  shovels  were  distributed  and 
used  with  a  will,  until  we  had  built  very  satisfactory  breastworks, 
which  on  the  following  days  and  nights  proved  a  great  protection 
from  the  fire  of  the  enemy.  When  this  work  was  done  we  laid 
down  for  a  sleep,  but  we  slept  very  little  that  night.  The  pioneers 
were  in  our  front,  and  with  steady  blows  from  their  axes  felled 
the  trees  for  about  sixty  yards  in  front  of  our  breastworks, 
crossed  them  and  made  a  tangled  mass,  over  which  no  body  of 
troops  could  come  with  any  degree  of  speed. 

Early  on  Saturday  morning  our  ears  were  greeted  with  the 
noise  of  cannon  on  the  left,  on  the  Plank  Road.  The  Confederates 
had  marched  down  by  the  flank  to  the  edge  of  the  woods,  when 
our  boys  opened  fire  on  them  with  grape  and  canister  and  drove 
them  back.  We  heard  the  moans  of  one  man  out  in  front  and 
a  little  to  the  left  of  our  regiment  nearly  all  the  forenoon.  It  was 
a  Confederate  soldier  who  had  both  legs  shot  off.  His  pitiful  cries 
attracted  attention  from  our  men  until  noon,  when  he  was  carried 
to  the  rear  of  our  lines  and  cared  for. 

All  the  forenoon  our  skirmishers  were  engaged  in  sharp  firing 
with  the  skirmish  lines  of  the  enemy.  About  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  our  brigade  was  ordered  out  on  double-quick,  up  the 
Plank  Road,  and  our  regiment  was  deployed  in  line  of  battle  and 
advanced  through  the  \voods.  A  regiment  of  our  troops  in  front 
of  us  opened  fire  with  musketry  on  the  Confederates.  The  under 
brush  was  so  thick  and  the  woods  so  dense  we  did  not  know  that 
they  were  our  men  and  we  fired  a  volley  into  their  ranks.  Our 
fire  was  suppressed  by  a  captain  in  front  of  us  coming  back, 
waving  his  sword  and  yelling  at  the  top  of  his  voice  to  cease 
firing.  Jerry  Brenneman,  of  Company  "  C,"  was  wounded  in 
the  forehead  by  a  Confederate  bullet  immediately  in  front  of  me. 
He  turned  round  dazed,  dropped  his  musket  and  reeled  down 
11 


162 

behind  a  tree,  the  blood  flowing  down  over  his  right  eye,  but  the 
wound  proved  to  be  a  scalp  wound.  We  had  not  advanced  far 
until  a  retreat  was  ordered,  and  we  fell  back  to  our  intrench- 
ments.  Immediately  a  firing  of  musketry  began  on  our  right,  in 
General  Williams'  division  of  our  corps.  It  extended  clear  out  to 
General  Howard's  corps,  and  continued  with  great  fury  on  both 
sides  until  nine  o'clock  at  night.  General  Greene's  brigade  of 
our  division  was  marched  on  double-quick  to  support  General 
Williams.  The  whole  line  on  our  right  was  engaged  in  fierce 
battle.  The  thunder  and  roar  of  cannon  shook  the  earth,  while 
deafening  sounds  of  battle  filled  the  air.  The  contest  was 
renewed  with  great  fury  on  the  right  wing  of  our  army.  Stone 
wall  Jackson's  men  were  hammering  Howard's  corps,  and  they 
kept  it  up  until  Howard's  lines  were  turned  and  driven  back. 
Many  men  ran  wildly  down  and  up  against  our  lines.  The  firing 
in  our  front  continued  with  fury,  while  we  answered  back  with 
sheets  of  leaden  hail. 

The  turning  of  the  right  wing  placed  us  between  two  fires. 
We  were  engaged  with  musketry  firing  in  our  front,  with  the 
Confederate  grape  and  canister  coming  in  from  our  rear.  We 
soon  discovered  that  the  Eleventh  Army  Corps  had  broken. 
Howard's  men  ran  down  past  us,  some  throwing  away  their  guns 
and  accoutrements  that  they  might  go  more  swiftly.  By  eleven 
o'clock  the  storm  of  battle  seemed  to  have  spent  itself,  but  very 
soon  the  engagement  was  renewed,  and  at  midnight  word  was 
passed  that  our  right  wing  had  regained  their  lost  ground. 

We  rested  on  our  arms  behind  our  breastworks  until  Sunday 
morning,  the  third  day  of  May,  dawned.  But  it  was  hardly 
daylight  when  the  noise  of  musketry  firing  and  the  roar  of  cannon 
began  again.  The  furies  of  war  were  flying  in  the  air.  We 
seemed  to  be  located  right  at  the  bend  in  our  great  line  of  battle. 
About  eight  o'clock  the  Confederates  pressed  the  right  wing  of  our 
army  back  again,  which  brought  us  between  two  fires.  Indeed,  it 
seemed  like  three  fires,  one  from  the  front,  one  from  the  rear  and 
one  from  the  right  wing.  It  was  like  a  hurricane  sweeping  the 
face  of  the  earth.  The  musketry  firing  and  the  roar  of  cannon 
were  terrific  in  the  extreme.  It  was  not  equalled  by  any  noise 
that  we  ever  heard  from  the  thunders  of  the  skies.  It  was  the 
surging  and  plunging  of  two  great  armies  in  deadly  battle.  Every 
inch  of  ground  was  strongly  contested,  but  the  right  wing  and 


163 

centre  of  our  lines  seemed  to  be  back  to  back.  Musket  balls, 
grape  and  canister  and  "shells  flew  around  us  like  hail,  but  our 
intrenchments  were  a  great  protection. 

At  last  there  was  a  lull  in  the  firing,  the  noise  was  ceasing,  and 
the  awful  battle  was  over.  We  found  that  Lieutenant  Jesse  H. 
Stewart,  of  Company  "  A,"  was  killed  by  a  shell,  which  struck 
him  in  the  head  while  lying  behind  the  breastworks.  It  seemed 
that  he  had  a  premonition  of  his  death,  for  two  days  before  the 
battle  he  handed  his  will  to  our  chaplain,  who  was  his  brother, 
and  said,  "  John,  see  that  my  will  is  executed.  Take  good  care  of 
my  children,  for  I  shall  never  come  out  of  this  battle  alive." 

When  all  hope  of  gaining  our  lost  ground  on  the  right  was 
gone,  we  were  ordered  to  retreat  on  the  road   leading  to  the 
United  States  fording.     This  was  done  between  raking  fires  of 
grape,  canister,  shells  and  bullets.     There  was  a  good  deal  of 
confusion  attending  the  retreat,  and  when  we  got  out  of  range 
of  the  fire  the  regiment  was  put  in  line  of  battle.    The  contest  was 
over.     The  battle  of  Chancellorsville  had  been  fought.     Hooker 
and  his  army  were  defeated,  but  it  was  not  such  a  defeat  as  had 
been  seen  on  other  fields,  for  General  Stonewall  Jackson,  of  the 
Confederate  army,  had  been  killed  in  the  awful  conflict  between 
his  men  and  General  Howard's  corps.     It  was  said  that  his  loss 
to  the   Confederate  army  was  greater  than   the  destruction  of 
25,000  men.     Next  to  General  Lee,  he  was  the  greatest  military 
genius  and  fighting  general  the  Southern  Confederacy  had  devel 
oped.    No  greater  loss  could  have  come  to  the  Confederate  army 
but  that  of  Lee  himself.    General  Lee's  army  was  never  the  same 
powerful   maneuvering   and   fighting   machine   after    Stonewall 
Jackson's  death  that  it  was  before.    His  name  had  been  a  perpetual 
inspiration  to  Lee's  host,  and  he  was  the  most  dreaded  by  Union 
soldiers  of  all  the  Confederate  commanders.     So  that,  while  we 
suffered  what  writers  of  history  called  a  defeat,  it  proved  to  be 
only  a  repulse,  because  Stonewall  Jackson  left  no  successor,  and 
his  death  meant  a  great  deal  more  to  the  Confederacy  than  all  the 
Union  killed  and  wounded  who  fell  on  that  bloody  field  did  to 
us.    The  repulse  at  Chancellorsville  delayed  the  final  victory,  but 
our  army  had  struck  the  Confederacy  its  hardest  blow,  and  in  this 
we  won  a  great  victory,  while  we  lost  the  battle  that  day.     The 
final  triumph  was  delayed  till  Appomattox  put  the  finishing  stroke 
to  the  Rebellion. 


THEY   WILL   NEVER   FIGHT   AGAIN." 

Comrade,  Adieu  !    with  you  it  is  well, 
Your  marches  and  battles  are  ended, 

With  tear-moistened  eyes, 

We  look  up  to  the  skies, 
Where,  there  is  no  funeral  knell, 
But  a  patriot's  welcome  splendid. 


WM.  W.  WALLACE. 


WAR    REMINISCENCES 

BY    WM.    W.    WALLACE 

Captain  of  Company  "  C  " 

i25th   REGIMENT 

Pennsylvania   Volunteers 


Introductory 

In  all  previous  wars  and  battles  on  land  and  sea,  in  which  our  country 
had  engaged,  her  citizens  were  united  and  they  fought  the  Indians  and 
the  French  in  Colonial  days,  from  1675  to  1753;  the  War  of  Inde 
pendence,  1775  to  1783;  Barbary,  1803;  Tecumseh,  1804;  England  again, 
1812;  Algeria,  1815;  Seminoles,  1817  and  1835;  Mexico,  1846,  shoulder 
to  shoulder,  under  one  flag  and  for  mutual  protection  and  rights ;  but  a 
bitter  controversy  arose  between  the  Northern  and  Southern  states 
over  the  institution  of  Negro  slavery  and  the  right  of  a  state  to  secede 
from  the  Union. 

165 


WAR  REMINISCENCES 

¥ 

BY  WM.   W.   WALLACE,   Captain  of  Company  C.,    lafth  Regiment,   P.   V. 


Slavery  was  introduced  into  the  country  by  the  landing  of  a 
cargo  of  slaves  from  Africa  at  Jamestown,  Va.,  in  1619,  and  from 
that  small  beginning  it  took  root  and  spread  throughout  the  South, 
until  it  became  a  national  issue  which  admitted  of  no  compromise 
by  civil  laws  and  regulations,  and  finally  led  the  two  sections  to 
engage  in  civil  war,  which  raged  through  four  years,  from  1861 
to  1865,  and  proved  one  of  the  most  sanguinary  wars  in  human 
history. 

Immediately  following  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  to  the 
Presidency  of  the  United  States,  mainly  by  Northern  votes,  the 
Southern  states  seceded  from  the  Union  and  inaugurated  a  South 
ern  Confederacy,  of  which  Jefferson  Davis  became  the  President. 
They  quickly  raised  a  formidable  army  and  commenced  hostilities 
by  firing  upon  the  United  States  flag  at  Fort  Sumter,  S.  C.  This 
act  aroused  the  whole  North,  and  in  response  to  President  Lin 
coln's  call  for  troops  to  suppress  the  rebellion  and  preserve  the 
Union  and  maintain  the  authority  of  the  United  States  Govern 
ment,  volunteers  by  thousands  promptly  enlisted  to  battle  for 
their  country  and  avert  the  impending  calamity  of  disunion. 

The  results  of  the  first  year's  struggle  were  discouraging,  and 
the  contest  had  assumed  such  immense  proportions  that  another 
appeal  for  300,000  additional  volunteers  was  made  by  President 
Lincoln,  July  I,  1862,  and  it  was  in  compliance  with  this  appeal 
that  the  I25th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  had  its  origin, 
and  took  part  in  the  struggle  and  helped  to  make  history.  It  was 
recruited  in  Blair  and  Huntingdon  Counties  (including  about 
forty  from  Cambria  County),  and  its  membership  comprised  all 
the  varied  occupations  and  professions  of  civil  life.  They  were 
all  worthy  sons  of  patriotic  sires,  who  for  intelligence,  bravery, 
love  of  country  and  devotion  to  duty  were  not  surpassed  —  if 
equalled  —  by  any  regiment  in  the  service.  Their  forefathers  had 
fought  and  established  a  free  and  independent  nation  on  this  con 
tinent,  and  bequeathed  to  them  a  priceless  heritage,  consecrated  to 
166 


167 

virtue,  liberty,  independence  and  national  unity,  and  it  was  these 
inherited  military  instincts  and  patriotic  impulses  which  prompted 
this  later  generation  to  deeds  of  heroic  daring  and  unselfish  devo 
tion  when  their  imperilled  country  called  them  to  the  rifle  pit  and 
cannon's  mouth  in  its  defense.  As  other  writers  in  this  volume 
will  narrate  events  in  circumstantial  detail  in  connection  with  the 
regimental  service,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  some  portions  of  my 
narrative  will  be  found  better  told  by  them ;  but  I  will  confine  this 
article  mainly  to  incidents  with  which  I  was  personally  identified, 
and  as  all  the  facts  leading  up  to  the  formation  of  a  regiment  are 
properly  part  of  its  history,  some  matters,  personal,  may  be 
deemed  appropriate  to  allude  to  in  this  narrative  of  events. 

At  the  time  of  President  Lincoln's  call  for  additional  volun 
teers  I  was  residing  in  Huntingdon,  Pa.  His  previous  calls  had 
been  more  than  filled,  and  the  need  of  more  troops  was  not  realized 
until  the  return  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  from  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  capture  Richmond  made  it  apparent  that  the  war  was 
going  to  tax  all  the  resources  of  the  North  in  men  and  money 
to  bring  it  to  a  successful  issue.  The  need  was  imperative  and  the 
duty  was  manifest,  and  further  hesitation  and  delay  would  have 
been  recreancy.  I  therefore  came  to  a  prompt  decision  to  enlist, 
and  issued  an  appeal  to  the  public,  as  follows : 


TO   MY   COUNTRYMEN. 

Huntingdon  County  is  moving  too  slow,  and  being  persuaded  that 
I  am  actuated  by  an  eye  single  to  God's  glory,  and  my  country's  wel 
fare,  I  am  led  thus  publicly  to  ask: 

Who  controls  the  issues  of  battles? 

To  what  cause  shall  we  attribute  the  Bull  Run  panic  and  slaughter 
and  other  reverses? 

(God  assuredly  was  not  with  us  to  direct  in  council,  or  to  strengthen 
our  hearts.) 

In  responding  to  OUR  COUNTRY'S  CALL  for  more  men,  let  us 
humble  ourselves  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  so  deport  us  that  he  will 
dwell  with  us,  guide  our  counsel,  go  out  before  us,  and  strengthen  our 
hearts  in  the  shock  of  battle.  I  therefore  propose  to  you,  my  country 
men,  to  raise  a  company,  every  man  of  which  shall  take  his  BIBLE  with 
his  musket,  and  go  out  in  His  fear. 

All  who  will  unite  with  us  in  this  spirit,  will  report  themselves  at 
once  to  the  undersigned,  and  have  their  names  enrolled. 

WM.  W.  WALLACE. 
Huntingdon,  Pa.,  July  30,  1862. 


168 

With  the  active  co-operation  of  several  ardent  comrades  (nota 
bly  Theodore  L.  Flood,  a  young  student  of  divinity ;  J.  Randolph 
Simpson,  a  law  student,  who  was  badly  wounded  at  Antietam,  and 
his  brother,  George  A.  Simpson,  who  became  regimental  color- 
bearer,  and  was  killed  at  Antietam,  and  others  less  conspicu 
ously),  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  enrolling  in  my  office  in  a  few 
days  170  men,  one  hundred  of  whom  formed  a  company  organiza 
tion  and  elected  the  writer  as  captain,  Sheriff  William  B.  Ziegler 
first  lieutenant  and  William  F.  McPherran  second  lieutenant.  The 
remaining  seventy  then  distributed  themselves  among  other  com 
panies  of  the  regiment  then  in  process  of  formation. 

Transportation  was  furnished  us  via  the  Pennsylvania  Rail 
road  in  box  cars  to  Harrisburg,  and  on  August  n,  1862,  we  were 
mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  as  Company  "  C," 
I25th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  for  nine  months. 

Mine  was  the  color  company,  and  was  also  known  as  the  Bible 
company,  because  every  member  of  it  had  been  presented  with  a 
pocket  Bible  by  the  good  people  of  Huntingdon,  in  consequence 
of  a  suggestion  made  in  my  public  circular,  that  we  should  carry 
our  Bibles  in  camp  with  our  muskets. 

The  regimental  organization  was  effected  by  the  election  and 
appointment  of  Jacob  Higgins,  colonel;  Jacob  Szink,  lieutenant- 
colonel;  John  J.  Lawrence,  major;  Doctors  John  Feay  and  F.  B. 
Davidson,  assistant  surgeons ;  Rev.  John  D.  Stewart,  chaplain ; 
William  C.  Bay  ley,  quartermaster,  and  Robert  M.  Johnston,  adju 
tant. 

We  left  Camp  Curtin  on  Saturday,  August  16,  1862,  at  6 
p.  M.,  reached  Baltimore  by  rail  at  5  A.  M.  Sunday  (where  Com 
pany  "  Cs  "  first  public  act  was  to  fall  in  line  for  a  short  service 
of  prayer).  Leaving  there  at  8  A.  M.,  we  arrived  in  Washington, 
D.  C.,  at  ii  A.  M.,  August  17,  and  quartered  that  night  in  Wash 
ington,  D.  C.,  barracks,  General  Casey  in  command.  The  next 
day,  Monday,  August  18,  crossed  the  long  bridge  over  the  Poto 
mac  into  Virginia,  and  camped  that  night  at  Hunter's  Chapel,  Va., 
General  Whipple  in  command,  and  remained  in  that  vicinity  until 
on  Tuesday,  August  26,  we  marched  to  Fort  Bernard,  where  we 
were  drilled  and  placed  on  picket  duty.  Our  first  experience  and 
close  contact  with  war's  horrors  was  on  the  picket  line,  August  30, 
at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  in  which  the  Union  army,  under 
General  Pope,  was  defeated,  and  we  were  hourly  expecting  the 


169 

Confederates  to  follow  up  their  victor)  by  an  assault  on  our  inner 
line,  in  an  effort  to  capture  Washington.  At  that  period  of  the 
war  there  were  many  in  that  city  who  were  disloyal  and  in  secret 
communication  with  the  Confederates,  and  great  vigilance  was 
enjoined  upon  all  Union  officers  along  the  picket  line,  to  see  that 
none  passed  in  or  out  without  the  countersign.  During  the  battle 
and  the  day  following  I  was  in  command  of  a  picket  line  detail 
posted  across  a  road  leading  to  the  battlefield  from  Washington, 
with  strict  orders  to  pass  no  civilians  out.  On  the  morning  after 
the  battle  a  closed  carriage  drove  up,  containing  some  gentlemen 
from  Washington,  who  represented  that  they  were  carrying  succor 
for  the  wounded,  which  on  investigation  I  found  to  consist  of  a 
bottle  of  brandy,  already  partly  used  by  themselves.  I  recognized 
them  as  men  of  high  social  standing,  but  I  told  them  of  my  orders, 
and,  paying  no  heed  to  their  expostulations,  bade  the  driver  turn 
his  horses  and  go  back  to  Washington.  Later  in  the  day  the 
same  party  returned,  escorted  by  a  young  officer  in  a  new  uni 
form,  who  rode  up  to  me  pompously  and  said  with  an  authorita 
tive  air,  "  Pass  these  gentlemen  through  the  line."  I  said,  "  Who 
arc  you  ?  "  His  reply  was,  "  I  am  Lieutenant  -  — ,  and  aide 

on  the  staff  of  General  -  — ."    My  reply  was,  "  I  cannot  take 

my  orders  from  you,  sir !  and  these  gentlemen  must  return  to 
Washington,"  which  they  accordingly  did.  The  young  officer,  tak 
ing  my  name,  graciously  promised  to  report  me  for  a  summary 
court-martial ;  but  I  never  saw  or  heard  from  him  again.  The 
succeeding  five  days  were  passed  in  an  attitude  of  uncertainty  as 
to  the  enemy's  intentions ;  but  at  length  it  became  evident  that 
they  had  abandoned  their  attempt  on  Washington  and  were  mov 
ing  northward,  and  the  Union  army,  having  been  quickly  reor 
ganized  under  General  McClellan,  who  had  been  again  placed  in 
command,  started  on  Saturday,  September  6,  and  followed  them 
cautiously  into  Maryland,  with  the  Potomac  River  between.  Our 
first  halt  was  at  Rockville,  which  we  reached  Sunday,  September 
7,  and  left  on  September  9,  passing  through  Tjamsville.  We 
reached  Frederick  September  13,  and  camped  there  that  night. 
On  Sunday  morning,  September  14,  at  daybreak,  we  marched 
from  Frederick  to  the  South  Mountain  battlefield,  which  we 
reached  long  after  midnight,  following  an  exhausting  march,  and 
stretched  our  weary  bodies  on  the  ground  for  a  few  hours'  rest 
until  daybreak,  when  a  renewal  of  the  conflict  was  expected.  An 


170 

incident  of  this  march  will  practically  illustrate  its  weariness. 
Just  as  we  were  starting,  a  foraging  party  in  passing  handed 
me  three  roasting  ears  in  the  husk,  which  I  thrust  into  my  haver 
sack.  About  nine  hours  later,  say  three  o'clock,  they  had  been 
increasing  hourly  in  weight,  and  I  threw  one  ear  away.  About 
seven  p.  M.  another  ear  was  dropped  by  the  roadside,  and  about 
eleven  p.  M.  the  third  and  last  ear  was  too  heavy,  and  was  dropped, 
and  at  about  1.30  A.  M.  when  we  reached  the  battlefield  and  broke 
ranks,  I  dropped  in  the  nearest  furrow  with  a  clod  of  earth  for 
a  pillow,  and  slept  without  rocking.  Only  about  sixty  of  the 
regiment  were  able  to  hold  out  to  the  end,  but  the  remainder  came 
straggling  in  from  the  wayside  fence  corners  at  early  morning. 
But  the  enemy,  having  suffered  heavily,  had  withdrawn,  leaving 
us  in  possession  of  the  field.  The  Union  loss  in  that  battle  was 
433  killed,  1,806  wounded.  Among  the  killed  was  General  Reno. 
A  wounded  soldier  with  a  shattered  arm,  who  was  accompanying 
the  ambulance  containing  the  dead  General  to  the  rear,  shouted  to 
us  in  passing,  "  Hurry  up,  boys !  You  are  going  to  catch  h — 1  up 
there."  We  knew  there  was  warm  work  going  on  ahead,  and  his 
strenuous  ejaculation  was  full  of  gruesome  suggestiveness,  but 
fortunately  I  suppose  for  us,  on  reaching  the  summit  the  worst 
was  over  for  that  occasion,  the  enemy  having  retreated.  Then  fol 
lowed  many  hours  of  suspense,  marching,  halting  and  manceuver- 
ing  on  both  sides.  Tuesday,  September  16,  at  n  P.  M.,  we  left 
Keedyville  and  reached  Antietam  battlefield  at  about  one  or  two 
o'clock  A.  M.,  and  rested  until  daybreak  near  George  Lines'  farm 
house.  At  early  dawn  on  that  eventful  Wednesday,  September 
17,  we  were  aroused  from  our  very  brief  slumbers  by  the  sounds 
of  the  opening  conflict,  and  with  no  time  to  fortify  our  empty 
stomachs  with  "  coffee  and  hardtack,"  were  led  to  the  front  and 
placed  in  position  near  the  centre  of  a  widely  extended  line  of 
battle  and  directly  in  front  of  the  Dunker  church.  The  Confed 
erate  and  Union  armies,  like  two  great  giants,  then  grappled  in  a 
deadly  struggle  for  the  mastery.  There  had  been  some  prelim 
inary  fighting  in  some  parts  of  the  field  on  the  day  previous,  but 
it  was  not  until  the  I7th  that  the  main  forces  of  both  armies  met 
for  the  final  and  decisive  results,  and  war  statistics  prove  this  to 
have  been  the  bloodiest  one-day  battle  of  the  war.  It  surpasses 
the  descriptive  power  of  pen  or  imagination  to  convey  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  horrors  of  such  an  encounter  between  such  masses  of 


171 

brave  and  determined  men  bent  on  mutual  extermination;  but 
some  conception  of  the  fearful  carnage  that  resulted  may  be 
formed  from  the  official  reports,  which  give  the  Union  loss  as  2,010 
killed  and  10,459  wounded  and  the  Confederate  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded  as  13,687,  making  a  total  loss  of  26,156.  Of  our  own 
regiment  who  went  out  with  us  that  morning,  229  were  killed  or 
wounded,  of  whom  84,  being  slightly  wounded  but  not  disabled 
from  further  service,  were  not  officially  reported,  making  the 
casualties  over  30  per  cent,  of  the  number  engaged.  It  was  with 
saddened  hearts  that  we  contemplated  the  vacant  places  in  our 
ranks  so  lately  filled  by  these  gallant  comrades,  and  realized  that 
we  were  to  see  their  faces  and  enjoy  their  companionship  no 
more,  but  they  had  fallen  in  a  noble  cause  as  martyrs  for  their 
country's  weal.  Among  the  first  to  fall  while  directing  our 
advance  movement  was  our  corps  commander,  that  gallant  old 
war  veteran,  Major-General  Mansfield,  whose  loss  was  keenly  felt 
by  every  soldier  in  his  command.  He  had  only  recently  been 
assigned  to  the  command  of  our  corps,  and  my  first  sight  of  him 
was  on  Monday's  march,  September  I5th.  We  had  been  halted 
and  kept  standing  for  some  time  exposed  to  a  sweltering  sun, 
when  a  venerable,  white-haired  officer  came  galloping  along  the 
line,  and,  noticing  this  oversight,  exclaimed,  "  Why  are  the  men 
kept  standing  in  the  sun?"  and  immediately  directed  us  to  be 
moved  to  the  welcome  shade  of  a  woods  close  by.  This  was 
Mansfield,  and  the  incident  revealed  his  considerate  care  for  his 
men,  but  he  was  not  to  be  with  us  long,  for  early  on  Wednesday 
morning  he  was  mortally  wounded  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
our  regiment,  and  the  melancholy  privilege  fell  to  the  lot  of  some 
of  our  comrades  to  help  him  from  his  horse  and  carry  him  ten 
derly  to  the  rear  and  deliver  him  to  the  care  of  others,  by  whom 
he  was  conveyed  to  the  field  hospital  for  surgical  care,  but  before 
the  sun  set  that  day  his  patriotic  soul  had  entered  upon  a  "Sol 
dier's  Rest  on  the  Eternal  Camping  Ground." 

The  loss  of  our  genial  and  gallant  young  adjutant,  Robert 
N.  Johnston,  was  also  deeply  lamented.  At  the  time  he  was 
wounded  his  emphatic  expression  of  vexation  at  being  obliged 
to  go  to  the  rear  to  have  his  wound  dressed  caused  his  comrades 
some  temporary  amusement,  but  alas !  his  wound  proved  to  be 
more  serious  than  we  supposed,  and  his  young  life  was  ended 
in  a  few  hours.  My  last  recollection  of  him  on  the  field  just 


172 

before  he  received  his  death  wound  was  his  salutation  in  passing, 
and  in  connection  therewith  he  waved  a  pair  of  gauntlet  gloves 
which  he  had  picked  up,  and  exclaimed,  "  It  is  a  rebel  major-gen 
eral's."  I  learned  subsequently  that  he  handed  them  to  Colonel 
Higgins,  and  that  the  dead  Confederate  officer  to  whom  they 
belonged  was  Colonel  H.  B.  Strong,  of  the  6th  Louisiana. 
Another  incident  that  happened  about  this  time  impressed  itself 
upon  my  memory.  Uriah  D.  Hoffman,  of  Company  "  C,"  was  the 
spokesman  for  a  group  of  young  men  who  called  upon  me  at 
Huntingdon  and  informed  me  that  he  and  his  comrades  had 
decided  to  go  with  me  if  I  enlisted.  The  proposition,  coming  at 
the  time  it  did  and  the  manner  of  it,  influenced  me  to  a  prompt 
decision,  and  this  was  my  first  acquaintance  with  Uriah. 

On  our  advance  movement  upon  the  Dunker  church  woods, 
into  which  the  enemy  had  retreated,  we  marched  over  a  Confed 
erate  officer  who  had  fallen  and  been  left  by  his  men,  in  the  frenzy 
of  the  excitement  of  battle.  Uriah  was  in  the  act  of  thrusting 
his  bayonet  into  him  when  I  arrested  his  arm.  My  attention  was 
then  engrossed  with  other  strenuous  duties  of  the  conflict,  and 
that  is  my  last  recollection  of  him.  I  never  saw  him  again  dead 
or  alive.  After  the  battle  he  was  not  among  the  survivors  at 
roll-call,  and  we  did  not  identify  his  body  among  the  dead  we 
buried,  nor  find  him  at  the  hospital  among  the  wounded,  and,  sup 
posing  him  to  have  been  captured,  I  reported  him  on  the  rolls  as 
missing.  His  fate  remained  a  mystery  to  me  for  years,  until 
happening"  to  allude  to  the  matter  in  the  presence  of  David  Hen 
derson,  of  Company  "  C,"  he  informed  me  that  Uriah  was  next  to 
him  in  the  ranks  and  he  saw  him  shot  and  killed,  and  not  being 
present  when  my  inquiries  were  made,  he  was  not  aware  that  the 
fact  was  not  known,  but  it  appears  that  the  body  was  identified 
by  some  one,  and  rests  properly  marked  among  other  Union 
patriot  dead  in  the  National  Cemetery  at  Sharpsburg. 

Sergeant  George  A.  Simpson,  our  regimental  color-bearer, 
was  another  martyr  who  fell  at  his  post  of  duty  while  bravely 
bearing  the  flag  aloft.  When  he  was  shot  down,  another  comrade 
of  the  color  guard,  Private  Eugene  Bablits,  of  Company  "  I," 
grasped  the  colors  and  was  also  struck  down  by  a  bullet,  which 
crippled  him  for  life.  The  general  impression  is  that  two  or  three 
other  comrades  of  the  color  guard  were  killed  or  wounded  in 
handling  the  flag,  but  as  the  color  guard  was  made  up  of  details 


173 

from  various  companies  of  the  regiment,  I  have  no  records  at  hand 
to  enable  me  to  name  them.  The  manner  of  its  coming  into  my 
hands  I  will  state  later  on,  but  at  this  juncture  an  eventful  circum 
stance  transpired.  The  Confederates  were  largely  concealed  in 
the  west  woods,  upon  which  we  were  advancing  from  the  open 
field,  and  we  had  not  penetrated  much  beyond  the  borders  of  the 
woods  when  (in  my  immediate  front)  I  caught  sight  of  a  flag 
indistinctly  through  the  thickets  and  tree  branches  which  looked 
alarmingly  like  a  Union  flag,  and  to  assure  myself  that  we  were 
not,  through  some  blundering  tactics,  firing  upon  Union  soldiers, 
I  hastily  advanced  in  front  of  my  own  company  for  a  closer 
inspection,  and  while  intent  on  that  investigation  a  retrograde 
movement  which  had  commenced  on  the  left  wing  of  the  regi 
ment  rapidly  extended  along  the  whole  line,  and  it  was  a  most 
unwelcome  surprise  that  greeted  my  eyes  on  facing  about,  after 
satisfying  myself  that  it  was  indeed  a  Confederate  flag,  to  behold 
the  whole  regiment  melting  away.  It  seems  that  an  order  had 
been  issued  to  retreat  and  re-form  in  the  rear  of  our  batteries,  to 
allow  them  to  operate  upon  the  woods.  This  order  had  not  been 
heard,  and  hence  the  disorder  that  ensued  in  carrying  it  out.  My 
own  impression  always  has  been  that  it  was  a  grave  mistake  for 
the  regiment  to  have  advanced  unsupported  so  far  beyond  our  reg 
ular  line  of  battle  and  into  a  dense  woods  occupied  by  the  enemy, 
until  it  had  been  previously  and  thoroughly  shelled  by  our  bat 
teries.  The  first  comrade  whom  I  overtook  was  David  Kuhn,  of 
Company  "  C,"  who  seemed  to  have  a  scalp  wound,  which  did  not 
disable  him  from  walking.  I  laid  my  hands  encouragingly  upon 
his  shoulder,  and  told  him  to  make  his  way  to  the  field  hospital. 
The  next  object  that  immediately  claimed  my  attention  was  Ser 
geant  Walter  W.  Greenland  approaching  me  with  the  flag  in  his 
possession,  which  he  had  just  received  from  one  of  the  color 
guard,  who  had  been  wounded.  As  Walter  was  not  one  of  the 
color  guard,  I  relieved  him  of  it,  to  use  it  in  rallying  the  regiment. 
The  nearest  Union  battery,  as  closely  as  I  can  estimate  the  dis 
tance,  from  the  spot  where  I  took  possession  of  the  flag  was 
about  400  yards,  and  to  avoid  being  made  too  conspicuous  a  tar 
get  for  the  watchful  enemy  at  such  close  range  across  that  open 
field,  I  prudently  kept  the  flag  furled  until  I  reached  the  rear  of 
the  battery  nearest  the  cornfield,  and  there  unfurled  it  for  a  rally 
ing  point  for  the  scattered  comrades. 


"  OH,  CAPTAIN  !  IT  is  JOHN  !  " 

Among  the  slain  at  Antietam  was  John  S.  McCoy,  of  Company  C,  1251)1  Regiment/  P.  V.  Exposure  to 
the  sun  had  so  changed  his  features  and  color  that  his  Captain  did  not  know  him,  until  William 'R.  McCoy 
approached  and  identified  his  brother. 


175 

The  first  comrade  to  greet  me  on  my  arrival  was  Captain  F. 
M.  Bell,  who  excitedly  exclaimed,  "  Captain,  this  is  murder !  " 
(It  was  a  new  and  tragic  experience  to  him,  and  the  loss  of  many 
of  his  brave  men  affected  him  deeply.)  With  the  aid  of  Captain 
Bell  and  Captain  McKeage  and  Lieutenant  Thomas  McCamant 
(who  in  later  years  was  honored  in  being  elected  Auditor-General 
of  Pennsylvania),  we  soon  had  a  formidable  number  of  the  men 
rallied  and  aligned  at  that  point.  The  other  portion  of  the  regi 
ment  was  rallied  by  the  field  officers  and  did  good  service  at 
another  battery,  nearer  the  Smoketown  road,  which  also  was 
threatened,  but  meanwhile  all  our  batteries  had  opened  with  tell 
ing  effect,  and  our  manifest  readiness  to  receive  and  repel  their 
assault  under  changed  conditions  led  the  enemy  quickly  to  aban 
don  all  attempts  to  come  "  out  in  the  open."  The  combat  then 
became  an  artillery  duel  across  the  intervening  space,  and  we 
awaited  further  developments  before  risking  more  lives  in  another 
effort  to  dislodge  them  from  their  entrenchments,  and  so  ended 
that  day's  fight.  The  next  day,  for  some  reason,  the  conflict  was 
not  renewed,  and  we  proceeded  to  gather  in  the  wounded  and 
bury  the  dead,  thousands  of  whom,  Union  and  Confederate,  were 
thickly  strewn  along  the  battle  line  for  miles.  But  the  whole  of 
this  sad  duty  devolved  upon  Union  soldiers,  as  the  Confederates, 
for  reasons  no  doubt  justified  by  their  losses  and  impending 
defeat,  had  retreated  and  left  to  us  the  care  of  their  wounded 
and  dead,  and  these  were  cared  for  with  that  consideration  and 
respect  which  all  true  soldiers  will  have  for  a  brave  and  fallen 
foe.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  i8th  I  accompanied  a  detail  in 
search  of  my  own  company's  killed  and  wounded.  Among  the 
dead  was  David  Kuhn,  whom  I  had  directed  to  go  to  the  hospital 
to  have  his  wound  dressed.  Another  bullet  had  probably  reached 
him  before  he  had  proceeded  many  steps  on  his  way.  There  were 
two  brothers  in  my  company,  named  John  S.  and  William  R. 
McCoy.  William  was  with  me  on  this  detail,  and  while  standing 
over  a  corpse  which  I  did  not  at  first  recognize,  William  came  up, 
and  with  an  instantaneous  glance  of  recognition  he  exclaimed,  in 
most  pathetic  tones,  "  Oh,  Captain !  it 's  my  brother  John." 
Nicholas  Decker  was  our  next  "  find."  Stretched  upon  the  ground 
with  a  badly  shattered  leg,  he  had  been  lying  there  helpless  and 
exposed  all  these  weary  hours.  All  that  hospital  care  and  skill 
do  was  done  for  him,  but  he  lingered  and  died  October  nth. 


177 

By  a  strange  coincidence,  I  came  across  a  young  Confederate  sol 
dier  from  Georgia  in  the  west  woods,  from  which  we  had  been 
repelled  the  day  before,  who  had  a  leg  wound  similar  to  Decker's, 
and  had  been  left  helpless  and  alone  by  his  retreating  comrades 
under  the  exigencies  of  battle.  He  was  suffering  from  thirst,  and 
to  my  intense  regret  I  discovered  that  the  last  drop  in  my  can 
teen  had  been  used.  My  search  for  other  comrades  was  not  yet 
ended,  and  carried  me  so  far  from  the  spot  and  consumed  so 
much  time,  that  when  I  returned  to  have  him  brought  in  I  was 
unable  to  find  him,  and  supposed  others  had  carried  him  in ;  but  to 
this  day  that  young  soldier's  uncertain  fate  remains  as  a  sad  mem 
ory,  for  there  was  a  refinement  and  gentleness  about  him  that 
appealed  powerfully  to  my  sympathy,  and,  living  or  dead,  it  would 
have  been  a  relief  to  me  to  have  had  him  know  that  I  returned  to 
have  him  humanely  cared  for. 

In  this  connection  a  letter  received  from  General  John  B.  Gor 
don,  who  commanded  the  Georgia  troops  on  that  day,  is  of  his 
toric  interest.  It  was  written  during  his  last  illness  by  dictation  to 
his  son  Frank,  and  addressed  to  me,  with  the  kindest  expression  of 
personal  regard,  and  says  that  he  was  carried  from  the  field  of 
Antietam  unconscious,  and  deeply  regrets  his  inability  to  furnish 
the  information  desired.  He  got  five  wounds  about  the  time  we 
penetrated  the  woods  and  delivered  our  volleys,  and  it  was  to 
obtain  reliable  data  for  our  history  from  "  his  side  of  the  fence  " 
that  I  had  written  him. 

My  visit  to  the  barn  hospital  when  darkness  set  in  left  some 
unfading  memories.  The  amputated  limbs  strewn  around  out 
side  made  a  ghastly  sight  under  the  glare  of  the  torchlights, 
and  the  audible  sufferings  of  the  maimed  and  wounded  comrades 
and  the  comatose  condition  of  others  would  have  made  the  voca 
tion  of  a  soldier  for  empty  honor  or  fame  utterly  abhorrent  to 
me.  But  we  were  actuated  by  higher  motives,  and  the  righteous 
ness  of  our  cause  justified  the  sacrifice.  Threading  my  way 
carefully  among  the  cots,  I  came  to  one  that  claimed  my  special 
interest.  The  occupant  had  just  aroused  from  a  condition  of 
stupor,  and  with  returning  consciousness  of  great  pain.  He  was  a 
young  law  student  from  Huntingdon.  The  body  of  his  brother, 
George  A.  Simpson,  our  color-bearer,  was  awaiting  burial,  and 
the  parents  had  no  other  son.  The  surgeon,  who  had  pronounced 
his  wound  mortal,  was  prevailed  upon  to  diagnose  the  case  more 
12 


178 

carefully,  and  made  the  discovery  that  the  bullet,  instead  of  going 
straight  through  a  vital  organ,  had  been  diverted,  took  its  line 
of  direction  around  by  the  ribs  and  came  out  from  the  back  nearly 
opposite  its  point  of  entrance.  The  surgeon  then  said,  "  His  life 
can  probably  be  saved  by  careful  home  nursing,"  and  by  a  favor 
ing  Providence  and  months  of  careful  "  home  nursing,"  J.  Ran 
dolph  Simpson,  attorney,  at  Huntingdon,  was  spared  for  a  life  of 
usefulness  and  honor  in  the  legal  profession  and  to  become  an 
influential  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  but  he  does  not 
expose  his  scars  to  the  public  gaze,  and  few  of  the  later  genera 
tion  know  what  it  cost  him  to  help  save  the  nation. 

There  were  many  more  good  and  true  men  lying  there  and 
elsewhere  of  my  own  and  other  companies — too  many  in  number 
to  make  special  allusion  to  here,  but  their  names  will  have  hon 
orable  mention  in  the  roster  of  the  regiment,  which  will  be 
appended  to  this  volume. 

Friday  morning,  September  I9th,  we  got  our  marching  orders, 
and  by  that  time  one  individual  discovered  that  he  was  very 
hungry.  To  the  best  of  my  recollection,  I  had  been  without  food 
or  coffee  since  the  preceding  Tuesday  night  (an  interval  of  three 
nights  and  two  days — about  sixty  hours).  This  was  owing  to 
two  causes,  one  of  which  was  the  preoccupation  of  body  and 
mind  under  the  exciting  conditions  which  prevented  my  giving 
thought  to  sustenance  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  fast ;  and  the  other 
reason  was  the  mysterious  disappearance  of  my  cook,  with  my 
haversack  and  provender  (and  a  travelling  blanket,  for  I  passed 
the  nights  with  only  the  open  sky  for  a  covering).  In  this  con 
nection  I  may  as  well  relate  an  amusing  episode  in  my  experience. 

I  did  not  relish  my  coffee  in  a  tin  cup,  and  had  stopped  at  a 
farm  house  to  purchase  a  common  earthen  cup,  such  as  you  pay 
about  six  cents  for  at  any  country  store.  The  good  woman  said 
her  daughter  had  a  cup  she  would  sell,  and  when  produced  it 
proved  to  be  a  fine  china  cup,  a  Christmas  gift,  inscribed,  "  A 
token  of  affection."  It  was  ridiculously  unsuited  for  my  purpose, 
but  gallantry  prevented  my  saying  so.  Having  placed  it  in  my 
haversack,  I  inquired  the  price,  and  when  informed  that  it  cost 
$2.50,  paid  it.  This  was  on  our  way  to  Antietam,  and  about  the 
same  time  a  tall  mulatto  accosted  me,  offering  his  services  as  cook 
and  luggage  carrier.  We  quickly  struck  a  bargain.  When  asked 
his  name  he  replied,  "  Juan  Fernandez  Miles  Ferdinand  Hughes," 


179 

which  for  convenience  I  abbreviated  to  "  Miles."  When  we  went 
into  battle  at  Antietam,  I  left  him  in  charge  of  my  blankets  and 
haversack,  which  contained  my  provisions  and  this  china  cup. 
After  the  battle  Miles  had  disappeared,  and  with  him  all  my  traps 
and  the  cup.  His  absence  remained  a  mystery  for  about  eight 
years,  when  we  accidentally  met,  and  the  recognition  was  mutual. 
I  hailed  him  and  said,  "  Why,  Juan  Fernandez  Miles  Ferdinand 
Hughes,  where  have  you  been,  sir !  "  With  a  grin  extending 
from  ear  to  ear,  he  replied,  "  Well,  Cap'n,  w'en  you  lef  me  back 
dar  alone  wid  de  traps  in  dat  woods  it  was  all  right  'til  dem  ar 
bullets  cum  a  wizzen'  and  de  shells  a  screechin'  and  tearen'  tro'  de 
branches  and  a  plowin'  up  de  groun',  and  den  I  jus'  remembe'  dat 
my  good  ole  mudder  hadn't  seen  me  for  a  good  w'ile  an'  mus'  be 
wantin'  to  see  me  mighty  bad,  and  so  I  cut  a  straight  streak  for 
hum."  The  war  had  long  since  ended,  and  I  forgave  Miles  for  the 
loss  of  my  traps  and  "  token  of  affection." 

Just  before  starting  on  Friday  morning,  while  the  men  were 
in  line,  it  became  necessary  to  appoint  a  new  color-bearer  to  suc 
ceed  Sergeant  Simpson,  who  had  yielded  up  his  life  while  carry 
ing  the  flag.  It  was  recognized  as  a  hazardous  trust,  and  I  felt  a 
delicacy  in  making  its  acceptance  obligatory.  They  were  all  brave 
men,  and  any  one  of  the  sergeants  or  corporals  could  safely  have 
been  entrusted  with  it,  but  I  decided  to  leave  it  to  their  voluntary 
action,  and  therefore  called  for  a  volunteer.  After  a  brief  pause, 
Sergeant  Frank  Wattson  stepped  out  from  the  ranks.  The 
appointment  was  ratified  by  the  colonel,  and  this  act  placed  Watt- 
son  in  the  line  of  promotion,  and,  following  the  death  of  Lieu 
tenant  McPherron,  and  the  resignation  of  Lieutenant  Ziegler, 
Wattson  was  commissioned  as  first  lieutenant,  and  Sergeant 
Theodore  L.  Flood  was  commissioned  as  second  lieutenant.  I 
place  this  statement  on  record  here  in  explanation  of  a  matter 
that  was  never  clearly  understood.  Sergeant  Greenland  would 
have  been  my  choice  for  the  position  for  the  share  he  had  in  the 
recovery  of  the  flag  on  the  field,  but  Wattson  ranked  him  as  third 
sergeant,  and  his  prompt  action  secured  it.  (Greenland's  sub 
stantial  recognition,  however,  came  in  later  years,  in  a  way  that  I 
will  explain  in  another  connection  in  this  narrative.)  On  the 
march  one  of  the  comrades,  discovering  that  I  was  nearly  fam 
ished,  shared  his  hardtack  with  me. 

We  arrived  at  Harper's  Ferry  about  noon  on  the  I9th,  and 


180 

were  kept  shifting  to  and  fro  between  Maryland  Heights  and 
Pleasant  Valley  until  October  3d,  during  which  time  much  sick 
ness  prevailed  and  many  died  from  camp  fever,  etc.  On  Novem 
ber  ist  we  crossed  the  Potomac  and  camped  in  London  Valley, 
where  we  were  occupied  in  daily  drills  and  on  picket  duty  until 
December  loth,  when  we  again  got  marching  orders,  and  reached 
Bowlsborough  through  Thoroughfare  Gap  on  that  day,  thence 
passing  through  Leesburg  December  nth  and  Fairfax  December 
1 5th,  reached  Dumfries  December  i6th,  and  then  pitched  our  tents 
at  Fairfax  Station  for  some  weeks,  which  were  spent  in  drill  and 
picket  duty.  On  January  2oth  we  were  at  Dumfries,  January  22d 
at  Shipping  Point,  and  from  January  24th  to  March  24th  we  were 
encamped  near  Stafford  Court  House.  During  this  interval  a  case 
of  conscience  was  presented  for  me  to  solve. 

A   CASE  OF  CONSCIENCE. 

One  Saturday  evening,  following  a  long  resting  spell,  an 
order  was  issued  from  headquarters  to  be  ready  with  rations  and 
arms  to  march  next  morning  (Sunday).  Our  orderly  sergeant 
had  conscientious  views  on  the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath,  and  was 
opposed  to  any  marching  or  work  on  that  day  that  was  not  strictly 
necessary,  and,  coming  to  my  tent,  expressed  his  convictions  that 
the  movement  would  not  prosper.  I  consented  to  let  him  call  on 
General  Kane  and  argue  the  point  with  him,  which  he  did,  but 
returned,  saying  that  the  order  was  issued  higher  up,  and  General 
Kane  said  he  was  not  responsible  for  it,  and,  such  being  the  case, 
his  duty  as  a  soldier  was  to  obey. 

We  marched  all  day  Sunday,  did  not  find  the  enemy  we  were 
in  search  of,  slept  that  night  under  the  sky,  marched  back  to  our 
camp  on  Monday,  and  then  learned,  to  our  vexation,  that  the  wary 
enemy  had  attacked  the  station  in  our  absence,  destroyed  some 
property  and  carried  away  provender.  The  sergeant's  intuitions 
seem  to  have  been  prophetic,  for  if  we  had  rested  on  Sunday  we 
should  have  saved  our  property  on  Monday. 

The  tragedies  and  hardships  of  war  were  occasionally  relieved 
by  incidents  of  a  humorous  character.  While  we  were  in  winter 
quarters  near  Stafford  Court  House,  one  of  the  officers  of  our 
regiment  was  detailed  for  court-martial  duty,  and  went  into  the 
town  to  secure  suitable  quarters,  and  presently  returned  for  his 
luggage  in  quite  jubilant  mood,  and  informed  us  in  glowing  terms, 


181 

which  almost  made  us  homesick,  that  he  had  discovered  the  nicest, 
cosiest,  homelike  place  in  all  the  great  United  States  (with  the  one 
exception  of  the  home  he  had  left  in  Pennsylvania).  The  family 
consisted  of  a  mother,  who  was  a  lady  of  most  attractive  manners, 
and  two  charming  daughters,  cultured,  genial  and  accomplished 
housekeepers ;  rooms  neat  and  clean,  table  first-class,  etc.,  etc.  A 
few  days  after  his  departure,  while  I  was  making  my  rounds  as 
officer  of  the  day,  a  sad-faced  officer  came  into  camp  carrying  his 
traps,  of  whom  in  surprise  I  asked  the  why  and  wherefore.  "  Is 
the  court-martial  over  so  soon?  "  "  Oh,  no,"  said  he,  "  but  I  am 
going  to  tent  it  with  my  comrades  and  live  on  army  rations  and 
attend  to  the  court-martial  duties  too."  This  called  for  an 
explanation,  which  he  gave  me  as  follows : 

"  Everything  was  just  lovely  for  a  time,  until  some  relatives 
visited  the  family  from  South  Carolina,  and  to-day  at  mealtime 
the  conversation  turned  upon  the  war,  and  remarks  were  made 
aspersing  the  Union  side,  which  in  self-respect  I  was  compelled  to 
reply  to,  and  one  thing  brought  on  another  until  the  temper  of  all 
was  aroused,  and  a  climax  was  reached  by  one  of  these  charming 
daughters  bouncing  up  in  a  rage  and  calling  me  a  good-for-noth 
ing  Yankee  cut-throat,  and  vanishing  from  the  room.  Do  you 
blame  me  for  coveting  my  old  quarters  ?"  "  Of  course  I  don't ; 
pass  in,"  I  replied. 

"  THE    FIRST     FALL." 

From  the  humorous  point  of  view  I  claim  to  have  been  prob 
ably  the  first  one  in  the  regiment  "  to  fall  "  on  the  advance  to 
Dunker  church,  but  it  was  not  caused  by  a  bullet  or  shell.  My 
company  was  approaching  a  fence  about  three  rails  high,  and  to 
be  in  readiness  to  align  it  properly  on  the  other  side,  I  took  a 
running  jump  to  clear  it.  My  sword  scabbard  catching  on  the  top 
rail,  I  plunged  headforemost  over  it  to  the  ground.  Fortunately 
the  only  injury  sustained  was  a  bad  shaking  up,  and  I  quickly 
reassured  my  men,  who  thought  I  had  been  "  plugged  "  by  a 
sharp-shooter. 

BURIED  ALIVE. 

During  our  temporary  stay  at  Stafford  Court  House  I  occu 
pied  a  "  sugar-loaf"  tent,  having  a  tripod  in  the  centre  from 
which  to  hang  a  kettle,  with  fire  underneath  for  cooking  and  heat, 


182 

and  an  opening  at  the  top  for  the  smoke  to  ascend.  The  boys  had 
burrowed  and  built  themselves  cave  cabins  of  various  sizes  and 
shapes,  with  such  materials  as  they  had  gathered,  such  as  rails, 
saplings,  tree  branches,  leaves  and  earth.  I,  with  the  aid  of  a 
Virginia  colored  lad,  had  constructed  two  bean-pole  cots  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  tent,  one  for  the  lad  and  the  other  for  myself. 
One  evening  a  heavy  snowstorm  set  in,  and  I  turned  in  to  my  cot 
in  anticipation  of  an  undisturbed  rest,  sheltered  from  the  storm 
and  thankful  that  it  was  not  my  turn  out  on  the  picket  line  on 
such  a  night.  I  was  soon  wrapped  in  slumber  too  profound  for 
dreams,  and  therefore  not  dreaming  of  an  impending  catastrophe, 
which  came  with  startling  suddenness,  for  in  the  dead  of  night, 
probably  about  two  o'clock,  I  was  aroused  by  a  shout  of  alarm 
from  my  darkey  boy.  "  Cap'n,  de  tent  is  comin'  down !  "  and,  sure 
enough,  I  had  barely  time  to  hustle  myself  under  the  tripod, 
where  the  boy  was  already  ensconced,  when  the  whole  tent  came 
crashing  down  as  flat  as  a  pancake  under  an  accumulated  weight 
of  snow,  and  there  we  were,  shut  in  like  two  rats  in  a  trap.  To  be 
turned  out  of  a  warm  bed  and  have  to  burrow  your  chill  way  out 
into  the  open  in  mid-winter,  and  face  a  blinding  snowstorm  in  the 
night,  half  clad,  and  exhume  your  house  from  under  an  avalanche 
of  snow  and  build  it  up  again  in  cheerless  gloom  and  darkness 
was  an  experience  not  to  be  envied.  In  fact,  it  was  literally  a 
"  wet  blanket "  spell  thrown  over  my  hopes  and  anticipations  of  a 
night  of  shelter  and  repose,  for  my  fire  was  out  and  my  blankets 
very  wet. 

On  February  22d,  1863,  I  was  ordered  to  report  at  brigade 
headquarters  at  Stafford  Court  House,  as  field  officer  of  the  day. 
It  being  Washington's  birthday,  the  officers  of  the  brigade  decided 
to  commemorate  it  by  some  conventionalities,  and,  procuring  a 
large  vessel,  they  filled  it  with  a  combination  of  liquors,  lemons, 
etc.,  which  they  called  "  punch,"  of  which  we  all  were  invited  to 
partake.  As  I  was  in  good  health,  and  had  no  use  for  anything 
stronger  than  good  coffee  and  cold  water,  it  was  soon  noticed  that 
I  was  not  partaking,  and  some  good-natured  comments  were  made 
at  my  expense.  This  attracted  the  attention  of  Surgeon  Cum- 
mings,  who  said,  "  By  the  way,  Captain,  how  is  it  that  you  are 
the  only  officer  who  has  not  been  on  my  book  for  treatment  ?  " 
My  reply  was,  "  Well,  Surgeon,  my  excuse  for  not  being  on  your 
list  of  patients  is  that  I  have  thus  far  had  no  need  for  your  pro- 


183 

fessional  services,  and  in  this  connection  one  fact  just  revealed 
is  very  significant.  Colonel  -  -  has  just  informed  me  that 

I  am  the  only  officer  who  has  not  partaken  of  that  punch,  and  you 
say  I  am  the  only  officer  who  has  not  applied  to  you  for  treat 
ment.  Now  I  will  appeal  to  all  of  my  comrades  present,  to  say 
if  I  have  not  had  rather  more  than  my  share  of  exposure  on  picket 
duty  by  reason  of  having  to  take  the  place  of  others  excused  on 
sick  list.  This  being  the  case,  won't  you  all  admit  that  cold  water 
and  coffee  are  a  better  combination  for  exposure  and  endurance 
than  liquor  and  lemons  ?  "  My  argument  met  with  no  rebuttals. 

On  March  24th  we  left  Stafford  Court  House,  and  arrived 
the  same  day  at  Acquia  Creek  Landing,  where  we  remained  in 
camp  until  April  27th.  While  here  we  indulged  in  the  luxury  of 
fresh  bread  and  Potomac  shad,  a  most  agreeable  change  from 
hardtack  and  bacon.  The  intervening  weeks  were  occupied  in 
daily  drills,  guard  mounting  and  picket  duty.  The  sutlers  were 
very  much  in  evidence  at  the  Landing,  and  were  freely  patronized 
by  the  men  for  things  needful,  and  by  some  for  things  not  need 
ful,  for  it  transpired  that  liquor  was  being  furnished  to  the  men 
contrary  to  orders,  and  this  was  the  occasion  of  my  first  personal 
contact  with  our  division  commander,  General  John  W.  Geary, 
tinder  circumstances  that  inspired  my  confidence  in  his  sobriety 
and  my  respect  for  his  character.  One  morning  at  roll-call  one  of 
our  men  was  missing,  and  the  orderly  sergeant  speedily  ascer 
tained  that  he  was  away  from  camp  and  had  been  absent  all  night. 
About  noon  I  was  summoned  to  report  at  the  division  headquar 
ters,  and  was  there  informed  by  General  Geary  that  he  had 
arrested  one  of  my  men  for  disorderly  conduct  the  day  before, 
that  he  was  now  in  the  guard  house,  and  he  (Geary)  had  sent 
for  me  to  confer  as  to  further  discipline.  I  soon  discovered  that 
it  was  our  missing  man,  who  had  been  down  at  the  Landing  and 
been  plied  with  liquor  by  a  sutler,  and  while  under  its  influence 
had  brought  himself  into  disgrace.  I  then  explained  the  situa 
tion  to  General  Geary,  and  bore  testimony  to  his  previous  good 
record  and  that  it  was  his  first  offense,  and  requested  that  he  be 
let  off  with  a  reprimand.  To  this  the  General  readily  assented, 
.and,  having  ordered  the  guard  to  bring  him  into  his  presence,  he 
addressed  him  in  my  presence,  as  follows : 

"  Young  man,  I  had  as  my  guest  yesterday  the  commander- 
in-chief,  General  Hooker,  and  was  priding  myself  on  the  good 


184 

order  which  prevailed  in  my  camp,  when  I  was  greatly  mortified 
by  a  noisy  brawl  outside  of  my  tent,  which  I  discovered  was  caused 
by  you,  and  immediately  ordered  you  under  arrest.  Your  cap 
tain  tells  me  that  you  have  a  good  soldierly  record,  that  this  is 
your  first  offense,  and  that  liquor  is  the  cause.  I  have  therefore 
decided  to  release  you  from  confinement,  trusting  that  the  night 
passed  in  the  guard  house  will  make  a  lasting  impression  for  your 
good,  and  I  want  you  to  take  this  counsel  with  you  from  your 
General,  and  that  is  to  abstain  from  intoxicating  drinks.  Shun  it 
as  long  as  you  live.  All  the  success  I  have  had  in  my  career  1 
owe  to  a  resolution  taken  in  my  early  manhood,  to  avoid  the  use 
of  liquor  in  any  form  as  a  beverage.  Now,  sir,  you  can  return  to 
your  quarters." 

The  lesson  proved  salutary,  and  that  comrade  gave  me  no  more 
trouble,  but  I  had  a  livelier  experience  with  another  soldier  from 
the  same  cause. 

QUELLING  A   WHISKY  INSURRECTION. 

It  is  a  trite  and  true  saying,  "  When  whiskey  gets  in,  reason 
gets  out  of  a  man."  One  evening  when  I  was  on  duty  as  officer 
of  the  day,  and  responsible  for  the  good  order  and  discipline  of 
the  camp,  a  squad  of  soldiers  returned  from  the  Landing  much 
the  worse  for  liquor.  They  were  quickly  taken  in  hand  and  hur 
ried  to  their  tents,  all  submitting  to  control  with  one  exception. 
He  would  heed  no  persuasion,  refused  to  be  quiet,  would  not  go 
to  his  tent,  and  grew  violent  and  dangerous.  His  record  previous 
to  enlistment  was  that  of  one  in  whom  drink  produced  madness, 
and  it  was  said  he  had  escaped  arrest  for  shooting  a  man  while 
under  that  influence,  and  that  the  prosecution  was  not  pressed 
when  he  enlisted.  Finding  persuasion  unavailing,  I  summoned  a 
guard  of  four  men  to  arrest  and  secure  him.  When  they  arrived 
he  snatched  one  of  their  guns,  and,  wielding  it  as  a  club,  threat 
ened  to  brain  any  and  all  who  came  within  its  range.  At  this  junc 
ture  the  lieutenant  of  his  company  arrived  and  endeavored  to 
bring  him  to  submission,  but  with  no  success.  I  was  reluctant  to 
have  the  men  use  their  bayonets,  and  therefore  quietly  arranged 
with  the  lieutenant  that  we  rush  in  on  him  from  opposite  sides, 
which  we  quickly  did.  The  sweep  of  his  gun  knocked  my 
cap  from  my  head,  but  I  reached  him  first  and  got  a  firm  waist 
hold,  and  with  the  prompt  assistance  of  the  lieutenant  we  quickly 


185 

had  him  on  the  ground,  and  while  the  guards  held  him  I  succeeded 
in  tying  his  arms  securely  with  a  stout  cord  conveniently  at  hand, 
and  then  sent  him  off  to  the  guard  house.  All  through  the  night 
he  raved  and  threatened  the  lives  of  all  concerned.  The  next 
morning  he  was  still  ugly,  and  I  left  him  tied.  Towards  noon  the 
whiskey  mood  was  subsiding,  and  on  my  third  visit  he  was  rational, 
tractable  and  humble.  On  being  asked  if  he  knew  what  he  had 
been  doing,  he  replied,  "  No,  but  I  find  myself  in  the  guard  house 
and  tied  fast."  I  then  said,  "  You  came  into  camp  last  evening 
drunk  and  violently  disorderly.  You  refused  to  obey  the  orders 
of  your  lieutenant,  and  made  it  necessary  for  me  to  arrest  you,  and 
in  so  doing  you  struck  at  me  viciously  with  a  comrade's  gun, 
which  you  had  snatched,  and  would  probably  have  killed  me  if  I 
had  not  dodged  the  blow.  If  I  report  you  to  General  Kane,  he 
will  have  you  court-martialed  and  perhaps  shot  for  such  a  breech 
of  military  discipline ;  but  I  don't  want  to  do  this,  and  will  not 
bring  any  charge  against  you  for  this  offense  if  you  will  agree  to 
avoid  liquor  and  promise  not  to  let  this  occur  again."  He  promptly 
gave  me  the  satisfactory  assurance  and  I  unloosed  him  and  sent 
him  to  his  quarters.  I  scarcely  need  say  that  the  whiskey-inspired 
threat  of  bodily  harm  to  me  was  never  fulfilled,  and  for  the  bal 
ance  of  his  term  I  probably  had  no  better  friend  in  the  camp 
than  he. 

During  our  stay  at  the  Landing  an  alarm  was  sounded  one 
evening,  which  brought  us  quickly  into  line  to  repel  some  appre 
hended  danger.  Whether  our  show  of  readiness  averted  an 
attack  from  the  enemy  or  whether  it  was  a  false  alarm  I  know 
not,  but  after  a  patient  waiting  we  were  finally  ordered  to  our 
tents  again.  But  meanwhile  some  of  the  officers  had  obtained 
from  the  surgeon  some  liquor  in  their  canteens  for  "  medicinal 
purposes,"  and,  not  being  careful  in  its  use,  one  or  two  of  them 
became  quite  noticeably  affected  by  it.  The  surgeon  in  passing 
along  the  line  noticed  it,  and  in  reply  to  my  remark  that  it  was 
unwise  on  his  part  to  allow  his  patients  to  do  their  own  dosing 
he  replied  with  much  fervor,  "  I  pledge  you  my  word,  Captain, 
that  I  will  never  again  trust  an  officer  with  more  liquor  than  I 
have  occasion  to  put  down  his  throat  myself."  In  reciting  these 
incidents  I  would  not  be  understood  as  assailing  the  use  of  liquor 
as  a  medicine,  for  it  is  of  great  value  in  the  hands  of  a  skilful 
physician,  but  as  a  beverage  my  experience  and  observation  have 


186 

long  since  convinced  me  that  it  ought  to  be  regarded  as  a  foe  to 
the  human  family. 

Profanity  was  another  bad  habit  that  some  good  soldiers  had 
acquired.  It  was  also  objectionable  to  me,  and  although  my  own 
company  was  comparatively  free  from  it,  yet  I  occasionally  had  to 
reprimand  others  in  the  regiment,  especially  when,  as  officer  of  the 
day,  the  good  order  of  the  camp  devolved  upon  me.  On  one  such 
occasion  my  ears  were  assailed  by  a  volley  of  energetic  oaths 
that  were  rattling  off  with  the  fluency  and  celerity  of  a  gatling 
gun,  and  on  reaching  the  offender  I  promptly  called  him  to 
account.  He  was  holding  one  side  of  his  face  in  his  hand's,  and 
I  discovered  to  my  surprise  that  he  was  afflicted  with  an  impedi 
ment  in  his  speech,  which  had  not  been  in  the  slightest  degree 
evident  in  his  ability  to  swear,  and  his  stuttering  apology  was  in 
striking  contrast  to  it,  as  he  laboriously  said,  "  Ca-Ca-Captain,  I- 
I  co-co-couldn't  help  it!  A  b-b-bee  st-stung  me."  I  passed  on 
quickly  without  further  comment,  but  how  a  stuttering  man  could 
swear  so  fluently,  was  a  problem  that  puzzled  me.  In  the  case 
of  another  stutterer,  who  was  devout  and  could  pray  fluently  with 
out  impediment,  his  fluency  was  attributed  to  a  special  dispensa 
tion  of  Providence,  but  in  this  case  the  anomaly  calls  for  some 
other  solution  than  to  assign  it  to  divine  aid. 

Our  regiment  now  formed  part  of  the  second  brigade  ( General 
Thomas  L.  Kane),  second  division  (General  John  W.  Geary), 
Twelfth  Army  Corps  (Major-General  Slocum),  and  on  April 
28th,  1863,  we  left  Acquia  Cre'ek  Landing,  with  the  Union  army 
under  orders  from  Major-General  Joseph  E.  Hooker,  command 
ing,  and  set  out  on  the  Chancellorsville  campaign. 

President  Lincoln  had  previously  visited  the  camp,  and  on 
Friday,  April  loth,  a  grand  review  of  the  army  was  held,  which 
made  a  brilliant  and  impressive  spectacle. 

The  President  on  horseback,  in  civilian  dress  and  high  hat, 
escorted  by  General  Hooker  and  his  staff  in  their  brilliant  uni 
forms,  presented  a  striking  contrast.  His  tali  form  loomed  up 
conspicuously,  but  he  was  not  a  graceful  rider,  and  alongside  of 
the  splendid  martial  figure  of  General  Hooker  he  was  not  an 
attractive-looking  object  to  the  soldier's  eye  from  a  spectacular 
point  of  view,  as  he  rode  along  the  line,  but  I  regarded  him  with 
profound  veneration  and  sympathy.  Knowing  full  well  what  a 
crushing  weight  of  responsibility  and  suspense  and  anxiety  was 


187 

at  that  time  oppressing  him.  His  Emancipation  Proclamation 
had  been  vehemently  assailed  by  thousands  in  the  North,  and  was 
far  from  being  cordially  received  by  all  the  soldiers,  especially 
some  of  the  war  Democrats.  It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  to 
hear  expressions  of  dissatisfaction,  such  as  "  We  enlisted  to  fight 
for  the  Union,  and  did  not  come  out  to  fight  for  the  niggers,"  and 
the  "  copperhead  "  journals  were  filled  with  inflammatory  edi 
torials  to  intensify  the  spirit  of  opposition. 

As  a  justifiable  war  measure,  however,  it  was  generally  acqui 
esced  in  by  the  army,  and  to  frustrate  the  aims  of  the  "  peace  at 
any  price  "  agitators  and  dispel  all  doubts  as  to  the  attitude  and 
sentiments  of  the  regiment,  a  mass-meeting  was  held,  at  which 
Colonel  Higgins  presided.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Szink  and  Major 
Lawrence  acted  as  vice-presidents,  and  Chaplain  J.  D.  Stewart, 
Surgeon  L.  C.  Cummings  and  Captain  W.  W.  Wallace  as  secreta 
ries.  A  committee  of  five,  consisting  of  the  secretaries  and  Cap 
tains  Bell  and  McKeage,  was  appointed  for  the  purpose,  and 
embodied  the  views  of  their  comrades  in  the  following  document, 
which  was  adopted  and  ordered  to  be  transmitted  for  publication 
to  the  Northern  papers. 

The  Camp,  Kane's  Landing  on  the  Potomac,  March  20,  1863. 
The  I25th  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers 
To  her  loyal  friends  sends  greeting: 

We,  your  fellow  citizens,  here  assembled  in  arms,  not  from  love  of 
war,  but  prompted  solely  by  love  of  country  and  sense  of  duty,  having 
put  aside  all  partisan  feelings,  are  now,  in  common  with  hosts  of  other 
loyal  men,  grappling  with  rebellion,  and  by  the  blessing  of  God  hope 
effectually  to  crush  it. 

To  remove  all  misapprehension  of  our  sentiments,  a  meeting  of  the 
regiment  was  held  this  day,  and  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions 
were  unanimously  adopted : 

Whereas,  The  attempts  of  the  so-called  peace  party  in  Pennsylvania  are, 
in  effect  throwing  impediments  in  the  way  while  we  are  fighting  the 
enemy  in  front ; 

\nd  whereas,  On  the  result  of  this  conflict  the  existence  of  our  country 
depends,  therefore,  be  it  resolved :  That  all  propositions  to  compromise 
with  armed  treason  must  be  rejected,  as  unworthy  the  land  that  gave 
us  birth ; 

Resolved,  That  the  only  compromise  we  can  make  is  that  the  South 
shall  return  to  its  former  allegiance. 


188 

Resolved,  That  the  only  way  to  secure  this  result  lies  in  a  vigorous 
prosecution  of  the  war,  until  the  supremacy  of  the  U.  S.  Government 
is  fully  established. 

Resolved,  That  the  reports  at  home  that  "  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
is  in  a  demoralized  condition  "  are  false,  and  without  foundation  in  fact, 
and  that  we  look  upon  the  authors  of  such  reports  as  enemies  of  their 
country. 

Resolved,  That  we  call  upon  all  loyal  citizens  to  organize  and  counter 
act  these  conspiracies  to  aid  Rebellion. 

Resolved,  That  the  President  of  the  United  States  is  the  Constitutional 
representative  of  our  Government,  and  his  administration  must  and  shall 
be  sustained,  and  that  Governor  Andrew  G.  Cartin  is  deserving  of  our 
highest  respect  and  esteem  for  his  eminently  patriotic  labors  in  behalf 
of  Pennsylvania's  wounded  and  sick  soldiers. 

No  public  official  ever  encountered  more  adverse  criticism  and 
venomous  abuse  than  did  President  Lincoln,  while  loyally,  pa 
tiently,  wisely  and  unselfishly  gnarding  the  ship  of  state  through 
the  storm  that  threatened  to  engulf  her  and  amid  the  breakers  that 
would  have  wrecked  her.  The  spirit  of  unrest  and  criticism  was 
rampant,  and  even  General  Hooker  had  been  led  to  indulge  in 
some  rash  utterances,  for  which  President  Lincoln  had  adminis 
tered  to  him  a  mild  rebuke  in  his  characteristic  way,  as  follows : 

"  I  am  told  that  you  say  '  the  country  needs  a  dictator.'  Of 
course,  it  is  not  for  this,  but  in  spite  of  it,  that  I  place  you  in  com 
mand  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  now  all  I  ask  of  you  is 
to  achieve  victory,  and  I  will  risk  the  dictatorship."  My  next 
sight  of  that  magnanimous  man  was  to  gaze  upon  his  sad  upturned 
face  as  he  lay  in  his  casket  in  Independence  Hall,  in  Philadelphia, 
en  route  to  his  sepulchre,  in  April,  1865,  following  his  assassina 
tion  by  Booth. 

General  Hooker  had  acquired  a  reputation  for  skill  and  brav 
ery  that  inspired  the  men  with  confidence  and  created  high  expect 
ations,  and  the  army  was  set  in  motion  with  the  impress  of  victory 
as  a  foregone  conclusion,  but  (in  the  words  of  Robert  Burns) 
"  the  best  laid  schemes  o'  mice  and  men  gang  aft  a-gley,"  and  (to 
quote  Billings)"  if  our  foresight"  (on  April  3Oth)  "  had  been 
equal  to  our  hindsight  "  (on  May  6th)  "  we  would  undoubtedly 
have  done  some  things  differently."  On  the  afternoon  of  April 
3Oth  we  seemingly  had  the  game  in  our  hands.  An  energetic, 
aggressive  forward  movement  at  that  time,  it  is  thought,  would 
have  caught  the  Confederates  at '  a  fatal  disadvantage,  and 


189 

Hooker's  star  would  have  been  in  the  ascendant.  But  for  some 
reason,  unknown  to  the  rank  and  file,  instead  of  utilizing  our 
"  flood  tide  "  that  was  leading  on  to  victory,  we  halted,  "  omitted  " 
the  opportunity — and  thousands  of  'lives  were  sacrificed  for 
nought,  unless  the  death  of  Jackson,  which  was  an  irreparable  loss 
to  the  Confederacy,  be  deemed  a  result  worth  the  cost  to  us. 

OUR  REGIMENT. 

At  daylight,  April  29th,  we  crossed  the  Rappahannock  at 
Kelly's  Ford,  and  marched  to  the  Rapidan,  which  we  crossed  at 
Germania  Ford  (where  150  Confederates  had  just  been  surprised 
and  captured  while  building  a  bridge),  thence  to  Chancellorsville, 
which  we  reached  on  Thursday,  April  3Oth,  about  two  o'clock 
p.  M.,  and  the  following  order  was  issued  by  General  Hooker: 
"It  is  with  heartfelt  satisfaction  that  the  General  Commanding 
announces  that  the  operation  of  the  last  three  days  has  determined 
that  our  enemies  must  ingloriously  fly,  or  come  out  from  behind 
their  defences  and  give  us  battle  on  our  own  ground,  where  cer 
tain  destruction  awaits  them." 

My  first  exploit  was  to  pick  up  a  lady's  slipper  on  the  lawn  of 
the  Chancellorsville  Mansion,  evidently  dropped  in  a  hasty  flight. 
Thrusting  it  in  my  belt,  I  hoped  for  an  opportunity  to  return 
it  to  the  fair  owner.  I  had  not  proceeded  far  when  an  officer 
passing  me  on  horseback  noticed  my  prize,  and,  producing  its 
mate,  proposed  that  we  "  toss  up  "  for  possession  of  both,  to 
which  I  agreed  and  became  the  temporary  custodian  of  the  pair, 
but  alas !  when  Jackson,  two  days  later,  routed  the  Eleventh  Corps 
and  we  "  double-quicked  "  to  that  part  of  the  field  to  resist  his 
advance,  we  left  our  traps  behind  us,  and  in  the  evolutions  of 
battle  that  followed  we  did  not  get  back  to  that  vicinity,  and 
some  lucky  Confederate  probably  got  the  slippers  and  spoiled  my 
gallant  purpose. 

Posting  our  pickets,  we  rested  for  the  night,  and  the  next 
morning  our  brigade  commander,  General  Thomas  L.  Kane,  led 
us  by  a  plank  road  across  a  swamp  and  out  beyond  our  line,  prob 
ably  half  a  mile,  to  an  elevated  ridge  of  land,  and,  there  halting  us, 
made  a  brief  address,  as  follows :  "  Men,  this  is  the  first  of  May, 
a  day  on  which  it  was  our  custom  in  my  school  days  to  bring  our 
teachers  bouquets  of  flowers,  and  now  over  there  (pointing  to  a 


190 

hill  beyond)  is  a  rebel  battery  that  I  want  you  to  present  to  me 
to-day—  Just  at  this  moment  a  courier  rode  up  rapidly  and 

delivered  an  order  from  headquarters  to  return  with  his  men  at 
once.  This  he  showed  extreme  reluctance  to  obey,  and  it  was 
only  when  a  second  and  peremptory  order  quickly  followed,  that 
he  "  faced  us  about,"  and  by  a  rapid  movement,  but  in  good  order, 
we  reached  our  main  line  in  time  to  avoid  a  conflict  with  a  superior 
force  which  aimed  to  intercept  and  cut  us  off.  The  incident 
caused  the  brigade  the  loss  of  two  killed  and  a  few  captured,  and 
gave  rise  to  a  brisk  controversy. 

Some  officers  allege  that  Kane  should  have  been  reinforced 
and  his  position  held,  others  that  it  was  a  rash  movement  and  his 
prompt  recall  saved  us  from  capture.  The  question  is  one  of 
those  debatable  problems  that  are  involved  in  the  vital  turning 
point  of  every  great  battle  in  which  contingencies  occur  that 
cannot  be  foreseen  or  provided  for  by  human  skill  or  strategy.  But 
it  seems  probable  in  this  case  that  if  we  could  have  held  that 
point  of  observation  General  Jackson  could  not  have  so  stealthily 
executed  that  flank  movement  by  which  he  surprised  and  routed 
the  Eleventh  Corps  on  the  evening  of  the  next  day,  May  2d,  and 
thereby  frustrated  General  Hooker's  plans  and  made  it  necessary 
to  fall  back  on  a  defensive  line  of  battle  on  May  3d,  and  event 
ually  compelled  the  Union  army  to  withdraw  from  the  field  on 
May  6,  with  the  loss  of  prestige  and  confidence  in  its  com 
mander,  which  defeat  under  such  aggravating  circumstances 
always  brings ;  for  the  "  rank  and  file  "  of  the  army  grow  impa 
tient  under  defeat  and  demand  victories  to  inspire  confidence. 
The  soldiers  all  liked  Hooker  and  had  entire  faith  in  his  bravery 
and  patriotism,  but  they  soon  discovered  that  his  plans  had  been 
checkmated.  It  may  have  been  by  General  Hooker's  order  that 
Kane  was  recalled  from  his  advanced  position,  and  if  so  I  think  it 
probable  that  Kane  was  not  aware  of  it,  and  attributed  it  to  Gen 
eral  Geary. 

Our  division  commander,  General  John  W.  Geary,  afterwards 
Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  was  a  brave,  patriotic  and  experienced 
soldier,  who  served  with  distinction  in  the  Mexican  War.  That 
quality  of  prudence  which  deterred  him  from  any  rash  undertak 
ings  made  him  perhaps  .a  safer  leader  than  our  impetuous  and 
plucky  brigade  commander,  General  Kane,  who  knew  no  fear, 
and  was  eager  to  fight.  The  incident  led  to  a  coolness  between 


191 

them  for  a  time,  but  when  in  after  years  Geary  became  Governor 
he  showed  his  appreciation  of  Kane  by  appointing  him  to  a  posi 
tion  of  honor  and  trust  in  the  service  of  the  Commonwealth,  which 
healed  all  differences.  On  that  evening,  however,  May  1st,  he 
held  a  conference  with  the  officers  of  his  brigade,  to  which  I  was 
invited,  and  he  expressed  his  dissatisfaction  and  disapproval  of 
the  events  of  the  day  in  strong  terms,  which  he  probably  regretted 
when  he  cooled  down;  but  the  conference  terminated  abruptly 
by  the  sudden  advent  of  Geary,  who  took  him  aside,  and  we  gladly 
dispersed,  for  we  felt  the  impropriety  into  which  a  hasty  temper 
had  led  a  man  whom  we  admired. 

A   PRESENTIMENT. 

Immediately  following  this  conference,  there  occurred  another 
incident  that  invested  that  brief  period  of  rest  with  a  peculiar 
interest.  On  my  return  to  my  post  a  young  soldier  accosted 
me,  saying,  "  I  am  John  W.  Scott,  private  in  Company  '  I, '  and 
here  is  a  watch  that  I  want  to  leave  with  you  to  send  to  my 
mother."  I  told  him  my  life  was  under  greater  risk  than  his  in 
the  battle,  and  advised  him  to  get  the  sutler  to  attend  to  it.  The 
incident  was  recalled  some  time  later  when,  in  looking  over  the 
list  of  killed  and  wounded,  I  noticed  with  surprise  that  he  was 
killed  on  May  3,  and  the  only  man  of  his  company  lost  in  that 
battle.  Those  five  days  and  nights  of  carnage  and  unrest  were 
such  as  tried  human  endurance  to  the  uttermost.  The  continuous 
volleys  of  artillery  and  musketry  brought  on  rain,  which  made 
life  absolutely  cheerless,  as  though  the  heavens  were  weeping  over 
the  scenes  of  carnage. 

On  one  of  these  days,  during  a  suspicious  lull  in  operations,  a 
field  officer  near  me,  training  his  glass  on  a  distant  woods,  drew 
my  attention  to  a  column  of  the  enemy  moving  eastward  in  front 
of  that  woods.  It  was  apparently  a  large  force,  but,  as  we  kept 
watching  it,  we  were  surprised  by  the  occasional  reappearance  of 
an  officer  on  a  white  horse.  In  each  instance  he  would  emerge 
from  our  right  and  disappear  upon  our  left,  and  as  it  was  the 
same  officer,  we  found  that  we  were  witnessing  a  bit  of  war 
strategy,  and  that  a  small  force  was  circling  many  times  around 
that  woods  to  convey  the  impression  that  it  was  an  army  change  of 
base  in  one  direction,  while  in  reality  it  was  moving  the  other  way. 
On  the  evening  previous  to  our  withdrawal  from  Chancellorsville 


192 

I  was  ordered  to  report  at  General  Kane's  headquarters,  and 
found  him  much  chagrined  at  the  situation,  as  the  decision  to 
withdraw  had  just  been  received  by  him.  Following  some  brief 
remarks,  personal  and  complimentary,  he  said,  "  How  many  men 
can  you  muster  ?  "  I  replied,  "  Seventy-one."  He  said,  "  We  are 
to  withdraw  and  cross  the  Rappahannock,  and  you  will  proceed  at 
once  with  your  men  and  form  a  picket  line  towards  the  Ford,  and 
connect  with  the  next  brigade."  At  this  moment  an  orderly  rode 
up  and  handed  him  a  paper,  which  caused  him  to  say,  more  audi 
bly  than  he  intended,  "  Heavens !  Must  my  poor  boys  be  slaugh 
tered  in  this  way  ?  "  Then,  turning  to  me,  he  said,  "  Captain, 
this  order  informs  me  that  my  brigade  will  have  the  post  of  honor, 
and  will  act  as  the  rear-guard  to  cover  the  retreat."  I  appre 
ciated  the  peril  probably  more  than  the  honor  of  the  assignment. 

It  was  a  wet  and  starless  night ;  we  were  in  such  close  touch 
with  the  enemy  that  torches  could  not  be  used,  and  I  had  a 
perilous  mission  to  carry  out  in  a  locality  in  which  I  was  a  per 
fect  stranger ;  but,  getting  the  boys  together,  we  groped  our  way 
silently  and  warily  over  hills  and  ravines,  through  thickets  and 
woods.  They  were  posted  one  by  one  at  proper  intervals,  forming 
a  line  in  the  darkness  as  straight  as  a  "  ram's  horn  "  and  undu 
lating  as  the  "  sea  serpent,"  and  when  the  last  picket  was  placed 
I  waited  in  anxious  suspense  for  daylight,  in  anticipation  of  exult 
ing  Johnnies  to  swoop  down  with  devouring  shot  and  shell  upon 
the  devoted  few  of  the  rear-guard  who  would  be  left  on  this  side 
of  the  ford  crossing. 

But  happily  our  retreat  was  not  discovered.  No  rebel  batteries 
were  yet  planted  to  open  on  our  pontoons,  and,  although  we  were 
about  the  last  to  cross,  we  reached  the  other  side,  and  felt  that  we 
had  a  new  lease  of  life.  Further  details  of  the  night's  experience 
from  other  comrades  would  be  interesting  and  exhibit  some  of 
the  hardships  that  soldiers  have  to  endure  in  war's  severe  exac 
tions.  Dave  Henderson  has  doubtless  told  his  grandchildren  how 
he  dropped  from  exhaustion,  and  I  scarcely  expected  him  to  live 
through  the  night  for  the  Johnnies  to  finish  him  at  daybreak. 
Jerry  Brennem  was  one  whom  the  Confederates  could  n't  kill. 
A  bullet  in  the  head  dropped  him  senseless,  but  after  lying 
stunned  for  a  while,  he  scrambled  to  his  feet,  shook  himself  to 
make  sure  he  was  not  some  other  man,  then  had  his  head  band 
aged  and  resumed  his  place  in  the  ranks,  ready  to  blaze  away 


193 

again  with  his  musket  at  any  Johnnie  who  should  come  within 
range. 

As  General  Hooker  has  been  severely  criticised,  and  to  some 
extent  perhaps  unjustly,  for  the  failure  of  his  Chancellorsville 
campaign,  in  which  victory  was  wrested  from  his  grasp  by  con 
tingencies  that  occurred  through  the  alleged  fault  of  others,  it  is 
due  to  him  to  place  before  our  readers  a  brief  summary  of  his 
plans,  as  narrated  by  one  of  his  staunch  defenders,  whose  severe 
arraignment  of  the  subordinate  generals,  from  his  point  of  view, 
need  not  be  quoted  here. 

GENERAL   HOOKER'S    PLAN    OF   THE    BATTLE    OF 
CHANCELLORSVTLLE. 

The   Union   Army   numbered   about    124,000   including   11,500   Cavalry. 

The    Confederates    numbered    about    62,000    including    3,000    Cavalry. 

(General  Longstreet  with  24,000  had  been  detached  to  another  depart 
ment),  and  on  learning  this  fact  on  April  27th,  1863,  General  Hooker 
started  the  5th  Corps,  and  nth  and  I2th  Corps,  under  command  of 
General  Slocum,  with  3  batteries  to  each,  northward,  unobserved  by  the 
enemy,  and  they  crossed  the  Rappahannock  at  Kellys  and  Germania 
Fords. 

On  April  28th  the  6th  Corps  (Sedgwick's)  and  the  ist  Corps  (Rey 
nolds)  and  the  3rd  Corps  (Sickles)  marched  purposely  in  full  view  of  the 
enemy  down  the  river  to  some  miles  below  Fredericksburg,  causing 
General  Lee  to  believe  that  his  right  flank  was  threatened.  The  same 
day  two  pontoon-bridges  were  placed  at  Franklin's  crossing  for  the 
6th  corps  and  two  more  a  mile  below  for  the  ist  corps  to  cross;  on  the 
night  of  the  28th  the  cavalry  crossed  the  Kellys  and  Germania  Fords, 
and  on  April  2Qth  (morning),  the  infantry,  under  Slocum,  crossed  the 
Rapidan  at  Morton  and  Raccoon  Fords  and  arrived  at  Chancellorsville 
.at  6  P.M.  April  3Oth,  and  were  joined  to  two  divisions  of  the  2nd 
Corps.  The  other  division  of  the  2nd  corps  remained  at  Falmouth  in 
full  view  of  the  enemy,  who  were  thus  successfully  blinded  as  to  the  move- 
men  underway  of  the  main  body;  April  3Oth,  the  3rd  corps  (Sickles) 
reached  the  U.  S.  Ford  and  camped  there  that  night,  and  reached  the 
U.  S.  Ford  about  n  A.M.  May  ist  and  took  position  in  rear  and  west 
of  Chancellorsville  house  about  10  miles  west  of  Fredericksburg. 

It  was  not  until  the  evening  of  April  3Oth,  that*  General  Stewart  dis 
covered  and  reported  to  General  Lee,  that  the  Union  army  had  crossed 
and  was  in  position  at  Chancellorsville.  Lee  at  once  ordered  Jackson  from 
his  right  flank  to  the  point  threatened,  leaving  General  Early's  division 
to  defend  Fredericksburg,  he  with  the  balance  of  his  forces  spent  all 
of  that  night  in  reforming  their  new  line  of  defence.  Jackson  reached  his 
position  at  8  A.M.  ist,  and  lay-in-wait  in  the  dense  woods  awaiting 
developments.  About  n  A.M.  Hooker  ordered  an  attack,  the  I2th  corps 
13 


194 

(Slocums)  and  nth  corps  (Howard)  via  the  Plank  Road  Silkes* 
division  (5th  corps)  and  Hancock's  division  (2nd  corps)  advanced  on 
via  the  Turnpike  (Center),  the  balance  of  the  5th  corps,  via  the  river 
road,  French's  division  (2nd  corps)  advanced  on  the  right  to  Todd's 
Tavern.  Each  column  was  preceded  by  a  cavalry  force  (Pleasanton's) 
Sickles'  3rd  corps  was  held  in  reserve  west  of  Chancellorsville  house, 
with  Graham's  brigade  advanced  to  Dowdle's  tavern,  Hooker's  purpose 
was  to  advance,  drive  the  enemy,  and  establish  his  line  with  the  right 
resting  on  Tabernacle  Church,  4  miles  east,  and  his  left  covering  Bank's 
ford,  but  an  impenetrable  woods  foiled  every  effort  to  deploy  in  proper 
formation  to  dislodge  a  vigilant  enemy  in  ambush,  and  that  method  had 
to  be  abandoned.  General  Hooker's  action  in  a  rapid  change  of  plan 
and  adopting  the  position  held  on  the  morning  of  May  2,  is  commended 
as  a  skilful  tactical  movement.  The  5th  corps  rested  on  the  river  near 
Scott's  dam,  the  2nd  and  3rd  corps  were  south  and  southwest  of  the 
house,  the  nth  corps  about  two  miles  west  at  the  junction  of  the  plank 
road  and  the  pike,  extending  westward  along  the  pike  about  three-quarters 
of  a  mile,  in  position  to  resist  a  front  atack,  but  by  a  fatal  oversight,  no 
provision  was  made  to  meet  a  flank  attack,  and  Stewart  on  a  cavalry 
reconnoisance  discovered  that  the  right  flank  opposite  the  nth  corps 
was  unsupported,  and  at  once  informed  Lee,  who  promptly  despatched 
Jackson  with  26,000  men  to  strike  at  that  point  which  he  did  with  char 
acteristic  energy  and  skill,  and  so  successfully  that  it  effectually  dis 
arranged  Hooker's  well  laid  plan  of  battle  and  placed  the  Union  Army 
on  the  defensive  during  the  remaining  days  of  the  conflict ;  the  position 
of  a  Commanding  General  in  defeat  is  not  an  enviable  one,  for  in  addition 
to  the  mortification  of  failure  he  has  to  undergo  the  censorious  and 
galling  criticism  of  his  enemies  from  a  very  imperfect  knowledge  of  all 
the  facts. 

In  this  instance  the  responsibility  for  the  disaster,  it  would  seem,  from 
the  conflicting  testimony  presented,  might  justly  be  shared  by  some  of 
his  subordinates  who  should  have  anticipated  a  flank  attack  from  such 
an  enterprising  foe  as  Jackson,  and  made  a  better  disposition  of  their 
forced  to  repel  him.  General  J.  Hooker  says  that  at  9.30  A.M.  he  issued 
an  order  to  the  commander  of  the  nth  and  I2th  corps  as  follows:  "The 
disposition  you  have  made  with  your  corps  has  been  with  a  view  to  a 
front  attack  of  the  enemy.  If  he  should  throw  himself  on  your  flanks, 
examine  the  ground  and  determine  upon  the  position  you  will  take  in  that 
event.  Have  heavy  reserves  well  in  hand  to  meet  this  contingency.  The 
right  of  your  line  does  not  appear  strong  enough.  We  have  good  reason 
to  suppose  that  the  enemy  is  moving  to  our  right.  Advance  your  pickets 
to  obtain  timely  information  of  their  approach." 


This  order,  issued  about  ten  hours  previous  to  Jackson's 
attack  at  that  end  of  the  line,  should  have  put  them  on  their  guard 
and  found  them  in  readiness  to  receive  him,  but  the  commander 


195 

of  the  Eleventh  Corps  says  in  his  defence  that  this  order  did  not 
reach  him;  consequently  these  vital  instructions  were  not  carried 
out  and  we  lost  the  battle. 

On  May  6th,  1863,  the  I25th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers,  was  sent  back  to  Acquia  Creek  Landing,  and  as  its  term  of 
service  was  to  expire  on  May  nth,  it  was  transported  by  steam 
boat  to  Washington,  D.  C,  thence  by  rail  to  Camp  Curtin,  Harris- 
burg,  Pa.,  and  there  mustered  out  on  that  day,  and  the  comrades 
returned  to  their  homes  to  enjoy  temporarily  a  well-earned  rest. 
But  the  war  had  not  ended,  and  the  services  to  the  country  of 
the  regiment  did  not  end  with  Chancellorsville.  Very  many  of  its 
members  re-enlisted,  as  trained  soldiers,  for  the  war,  and  served 
until  its  close,  some  of  them  with  distinction,  and  their  record  we 
think  properly  should  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  regiment  that 
produced  and  trained  them,  and  where  ascertainable  should  be 
recorded  in  our  volume  as  part  of  our  contributory  service. 

The  comrades  had  scarcely  reached  their  homes  in  Hunting 
don  and  Blair  Counties  when  an  alarm  was  sounded  through  the 
North  that  the  Confederate  army  was  invading  Pennsylvania. 

About  one  thousand  of  the  returned  soldiers  promptly  assem 
bled  at  Mt.  Union,  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  which  was 
supposed  to  be  the  point  first  threatened,  for  the  purpose  of  cut 
ting  off  the  Union  line  of  communication  east  and  west.  Major 
John  J.  Lawrence  was  placed  in  command,  and  I,  with  probably 
80  or  90  men,  marched  down  toward  the  Maryland  line  on  a 
reconnoissance.  At  our  arrival  at  McConnellsburg,  Pa.,  I  met 
Colonel  Moss,  of  the  I2th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  writh  about  300 
cavalry,  part  of  General  Milroys'  force  that  had  just  been  defeated 
and  driven  north  by  General  Early  at  Winchester.  Colonel  Moss, 
riding  up  to  me,  said,  "  Captain,  my  scouts  bring  me  word  that 
the  enemy  are  coming  this  way,  and  I  purpose  to  make  a  stand 
on  the  mountain  to  prevent  them  crossing.  Can  I  have  your 
co-operation  with  infantry  ?  "  I  quickly  assured  him  of  our  readi 
ness  to  aid  him,  and  he  started  with  his  cavalry  at  a  brisk  pace, 
while  we  followed  on  foot,  making  good  time.  The  cavalry 
rounded  the  summit  and  were  out  of  sight  about  the  time  we 
reached  the  base  of  the  mountain ;  but  in  a  very  few  minutes 
they  reappeared,  riding  briskly,  and  in  passing  the  colonel  said: 
"  The  force  is  too  strong  to  attack  successfully,  and  I  am  going 
with  mv  men  to  Blood v  Run."  Another  considerable  bodv  of 


196 

infantry  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Szink  was  also  returning  by  a 
branch  road,  he  prudently  having  decided  to  avoid  risking  an 
engagement  on  learning  the  strength  of  the  enemy,  and,  although 
these  officers  have  been  criticized  for  retiring  without  a  fight,  my 
own  judgment  is  that  they  were  entirely  justified  in  so  doing.     I 
had  not,  however,  yet  seen  the  enemy,  and  in  coming  down  the 
valley  had  been  deceived  by  frightened  farmers  from  below,  and 
I  decided  to  ascertain  for  myself  such  information  as  to  their 
number  and  destination  as  would  enable  me  to  make  a  reliable 
report  at  our  Mt.  Union  headquarters  on  my  return,  and  so,  halt 
ing  my  men,  I  asked  for  a  few  volunteers  to  remain  with  me 
for  a  closer  inspection  of  the  enemy,  and  about  twenty-six  stepped 
out  of  the  ranks.     I  then  put  the  remainder  of  the  men  in  the 
charge  of  a  lieutenant  and  instructed  him  to  march  them  back 
to  Fort  Littleton,  some  miles  up  the  valley  and  there  await  my 
coming.     Then,  throwing  the  brave  little  band  into  single  file,  I 
cautioned  them  to  follow  me  in  silence  and  keep  their  eyes  upon 
me,  in  readiness  on  a  wave  of  my  hand  to  leave  the  road,  clamber 
up  the  bank,  which  no  cavalry  could  have  mounted,  and  each 
one  to  conceal  himself  securely  in  the  thick  brushwood  that  skirted 
the  road.     It  was  not  my  intention  to  attack  or  expose  my  men 
if  the  enemy  should  prove  as  large  as  represented,  but  an  engage 
ment  was  brought  on  by  a  peculiar  circumstance.    When  we  were 
half  way  up  the  long,  slanting  road  a  gallant  young  lieutenant 
(McDonald)    with  four  cavalrymen,  who  had  slipped  off  from 
Colonel  Moss'  command,  overtook  me  and  said,  "  Captain,  I  have 
come  back  to  see  if  I  can  be  of  any  service  to  you."     I  promptly 
accepted  his  co-operation,  and  said,  "  Ride  on  ahead  as  far  as 
you  can  do  so  without  danger  of  capture,  and  return  with  timely 
information  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy."    He  started  off  with 
his  squad,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight.     We  plodded  on,  and  had 
nearly  reached  the  summit  when  I  heard  the  rapid  tread  of  hoofs 
and  the  lieutenant  and  his  men  reappeared,  coming  at  full  speed. 
I   immediately  waved  the  boys   into   ambush,   and   we  were   all 
:  snugly  out  of  sight  as  the  lieutenant  shouted  in  passing,  "  They 
are  coming,  Captain !  and  a  h— 1  of  a  lot  of  them."     (I  reproduce 
;his  exact  phrase  because  under  the  exciting  circumstances  a  little 
emphatic  language  seemed  excusable)  ;  and,  sure  enough,  his  little 
band  had  scarcely  passed  me  when  a  considerable  force  of  Con 
federate  cavalry  came  dashing  into  view,  vociferously  shouting, 


197 

"  Halt !  Halt !  You  blank  Yankees  !  "  and  accompanying  their 
shouts  with  volleys  from  their  carbines,  which  wounded  one  of 
the  lieutenant's  men  but  did  not  unseat  him,  and  they  all  escaped, 
because  the  pursuit  was  very  suddenly  checked. 

A   SURPRISE   PARTY. 

For  my  obligations  to  those  gallant  comrades  outweighed  all 
prudential  considerations,  and  when  the  enemy  got  abreast  of  our 
line  we  gave  them  a  rattling  volley  in  return,  which  effectually 
changed  their  purpose  and  sent  them  back  in  haste  and  great 
disorder.  I  emptied  four  barrels  of  my  navy  revolver  at  them  as 
they  retreated  by  way  of  a  parting  salutation,  just  to  "  keep  up 
the  racket  "  and  accelerate  their  flight.  The  attack  had  the  effect 
of  halting  the  whole  brigade  for  some  hours,  as  we  had  all  the 
advantages  attending  a  surprise  and  their  uncertainty  as  to  our 
numbers. 

They  brought  up  their  artillerv  and  commenced  to  shell  the 
woods,  but  by  that  time  our  little  band  was  out  of  their  reach, 
and,  keeping  to  the  mountain,  we  made  our  way  to  Fort  Littleton, 
where,  being  reinforced  by  a  company  sent  down  by  Major  Law 
rence,  I  threw  out  pickets  and  prepared  to  contest  the  approach 
further  north  of  the  enemy's  scouting  parties,  but  none  came  our 
way.  I  have  since  learned  that  they  had  an  absurdly  erroneous 
idea  of  the  number  of  men  I  had  with  me.  Our  skirmish  with 
them  at  McConnellsburg  took  place  on  June  24th.  The  battle  of 
Gettysburg  was  approaching,  and  General  Lee  was  obliged  to 
concentrate  his  forces  at  that  place,  so  that  after  a  brief  sojourn 
in  our  vicinity,  the  Confederates  withdrew  from  that  part  of  the 
state.  It  was  claimed  that  our  encounter  was  the  first  check  they 
had  on  Pennsylvania  soil,  but  this  has  been  disputed,  and  perhaps 
correctly.  I  never  investigated  the  matter. 

This  practically  closed  my  active  participation,  for,  though  I 
subsequently  raised  a  cavalry  company,  it  was  not  called  into 
active  service,  and  as  the  War  Department  had  decided  not  to 
accept  any  new  regiments,  I  followed  the  advice  of  Governor 
Curtin  and  accented  a  business  proposition  that  brought  me  to 
Philadelphia,  where  I  have  remained  ever  since. 

Among  my  letters  of  the  war  period,  I  find  the  following  well- 
merited  tribute  to  an  officer  of  the  regiment,  whose  death  from 


198 

disease  contracted  at  Antietam  was  deplored  by  all  his  comrades. 
It  was  addressed  to  me  by  his  physician,  and  reads  as  follows : 

Alexandria,  Feb.  6th,  1863. 
Dear   Sir : — 

I  inform  you  that  2nd  Lieutenant  William  F.  McPherran  departed 
this  life  about  one  o'clock  this  afternoon — I  have  known  him  in  private  life 
from  childhood  up,  and  must  say  that  I  believe  he  possessed  all  the 
traits  of  character  requisite  to  constitute  one  of  our  best  men,  and  his 
untimely  loss  will  be  deeply  lamented  here. 

(Signed.)     WILLIAM  CHRISTY. 

Another  paper  is  a  copy  of  a  list  of  money  sent  by  comrades  of 
the  regiment  with  Chaplain  John  D.  Stewart,  in  February,  1863, 
the  total  amount  being  $2490.50,  and  the  receipt  and  disbursement 
of  it  to  their  respective  families  was  acknowledged  February  28th 
by  Major  George  W.  Garrettson,  who  was  then  cashier  of  the 
Huntington  Bank,  and  warmly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the 
regiment  and  glad  to  serve  the  comrades  in  every  way. 

The  circumstances  attending  the  death  of  Lieutenant  Stewart 
(the  chaplain's  brother)  were  most  pathetic.  He  was  an  exemp 
lary  and  pleasing  comrade.  Earlier  in  life  he  had  contracted  a 
fondness  for  drink,  which  took  strong  hold  of  him  and  impaired 
his  health  and  prospect.  Lie  was  reclaimed,  however,  and  went 
to  the  front  and  was  in  every  respect  a  brave  and  efficient  officer. 
Unfortunately,  shortly  before  the  Chancellorsville  battle,  he  paid 
a  visit  to  some  of  his  friends  in  another  brigade,  and  they  got 
him  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  and  he  returned  to  our  camp 
with  a  deep  feeling  of  humiliation  and  regret,  which  he  expressed 
at  length  in  his  diary,  and  ended  his  penitential  confession  with 
the  remarkable  statement  that  the  Lord  had  forgiven  him  and 
would  call  him  home  at  the  coming  battle,  and  so  it  turned  out, 
and  he  was  the  only  officer  of  his  company  killed  in  that  battle.  I 
have  never  envied  the  feelings  of  those  officers  who  in  culpable 
thoughtlessness  and  from  mistaken  ideas  of  true  hospitality  plied 
their  unfortunate  comrade  with  the  liquor  that  wrought  his 
downfall. 

J.  Fletcher  Conrad  was  originally  appointed  one  of  the  com 
mittee  on  the  history  of  the  regiment.  His  death  after  a  brief 
illness  sadly  interrupted  his  labors,  and  proved  an  almost  irrep 
arable  loss  to  the  committee.  He  was  one  of  the  most  unselfish, 


199 

energetic,  untiring  and  patriotic  workers  that  we  had  in  the  regi 
ment.  He  had  a  zeal  in  the  service  of  his  country  and  in  extending 
the  "  helping  hand  "  to  any  of  his  comrades  that  knew  no  limit. 
It  was  his  earnest  letter,  sent  with  my  approval,  to  Governor  Patti- 
son,  that  largely  influenced  him  to  appoint  Sergeant  Greenland 
Adjutant-General  of  Pennsylvania.  Upon  one  occasion  Conrad 
confronted  the  Secretary  of  War  and  by  sheer  pluck  and  persist 
ence  secured  the  appointment  of  chaplain  in  the  United  States 
Army  for  a  deserving  and  efficient  minister  who  had  a  good 
record  and  in  whose  success  we  were  all  warmly  interested. 
Conrad  was  born  at  Franklinville,  Pa.,  August  I5th,  1840;  he 
enlisted  in  Company  "  C,"  I25th  Regiment;  was  transferred  to 
the  Hospital  Department,  for  which  as  a  druggist  he  was  espe 
cially  well  qualified,  and  performed  his  duties  well.  When  mus 
tered  out  with  his  regiment,  May  i8th,  1863,  he  commenced  an 
active  and  successful  business  career,  and  some  years  later,  when 
he  settled  in  Philadelphia,  it  was  my  privilege  to  again  become 
associated  with  him  as  a  comrade  in  George  G.  Meade  Post,  No.  i, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  in  1897,  when  the  post  chose  me  as  its  commander, 
it  gave  me  great  pleasure  to  appoint  him  to  the  position  of  adju 
tant,  and  no  commander  ever  had  an  aide  who  brought  greater 
ability  or  faithfulness  to  the  duties  of  that  office. 

He  died  May  I4th,  1898,  and  received  a  soldier's  funeral.  He 
was  interred  at  West  Laurel  Hill  Cemetery,  Philadelphia,  where 
his  surviving  comrades  annually  place  a  wreath  on  his  grave  on 
Memorial  Day. 

Captain  McKeage,  of  our  regiment,  deserves  a  brief  tribute 
to  his  memory.  Our  separate  duties  prevented  a  close  intimacy 
between  us,  but  our  personal  relations  were  cordial,  for  I  liked  the 
man,  and  I  think  that  he  held  the  same  kindly  feelings  for  me, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  when  he  was  a  candidate  for  lieu 
tenant-colonel  and  there  was  a  tie  vote  between  him  and  Szink,  I 
had  the  casting  vote,  and  being  unacquainted  with  either,  I  decided 
in  favor  of  Szink.  This  action,  on  better  acquaintance  with  both, 
I  regretted,  because,  while  Szink  was  a  genial  good  comrade, 
whom  we  all  liked,  yet  McKeage  impressed  me  as  better  fitted  to 
command  men.  I  regarded  him  as  the  best  fighting  officer  in  the 
regiment.  He  was  such  a  man  as  I  would  select  to  lead  an  attack, 
who  by  his  courage  and  skill  and  example  would  hold  his  men 
to  work.  Captain  McKeage  respected  my  rigid  notions  about 


200 

drink,  although  he  was  accustomed  to  take  a  drop  now  and  then, 
and  I  recall  an  amusing  incident  in  this  connection. 

On  my  rounds  as  officer  of  the  day  I  had  occasion  to  call  on 
him,  and  as  we  did  not  have  "  knockers  on  the  doors  "  of  our 
tent,  we  had  to  enter  unceremoniously,  and  the  sight  that  greeted 
my  eyes  was  our  brave  captain  standing  erect,  face  upturned,  arm 
uplifted,  holding  a  bottle  inverted,  and  absorbing  the  contents 
with  evident  enjoyment.  My  abrupt  entrance  disturbed  the  pro 
ceeding,  and  the  Captain's  respect  for  my  views  on  that  cus 
tom  led  him  to  hastily  place  the  bottle  out  of  sight,  and  he 
reminded  me  in  his  confusion  of  a  boy  whose  mother  had  caught 
him  foraging  in  a  pantry  for  doughnuts,  but  with  this  difference : 
McKeage's  embarrassment  was  that  of  the  courteous  host  at  the 
unexpected  entrance  of  a  guest  to  whom  he  could  not  offer  that 
kind  of  refreshment.  The  Captain  was  among  the  first  to  help  me 
rally  the  men  on  the  flag  at  the  battery,  at  Antietam,  in  reforming 
after  the  retreat.  Upon  retiring  from  the  army  he  resided  at  Hol- 
lidaysburg,  a  highly  respected  citizen,  until  his  death,  February 
1 2th,  1874.  Peace  to  thy  memory,  gallant  comrade! 

Among  my  war  papers  is  the  following  letter,  which  shows 
that  the  veterans  of  the  I25th  Regiment  were  in  readiness  to  repel 
the  invaders  in  the  campaign  that  ended  at  Gettysburg,  Pa. : 

Fort  Littleton,  June  24,  1863. 
Captain  W.  W.  Wallace, 

Dear  Sir:— 

I  arrived  here  in  the  night  with  the  enclosed  message  to  you  from 
Major  J.  J.  Lawrence  commanding.  I  found  some  men  at  New  Granada, 
nine  miles  from  here,  in  the  direction  of  Broad  Top ;  Captain  Reed 
decided  to  take  position  at  Sprout's  Stand,  on  the  top  of  Key's  Hill, 
where  the  State  Road  and  Pike  cross,  fourteen  miles  from  here,  and 
about  eight  miles  from  Bloody  Run.  He  expects  to  increase  his  force 
to  125  men  to-day,  and  station  part  of  them  at  Kegrice's  Stand,  five  miles 
this  way  from  Sprouts  on  the  State  Road.  Captain  Shorthill  is  at  New 
Granada  with  about  25  men,  and  expects  to  fill  up  his  Company.  Cap 
tain  Watson  expects  to  be  back  with  a  full  company.  Another  company 
will  be  organized  to-day,  and  will  report  to  you  at  this  place,  near  which 
it  is  desired  that  you  remain,  that  you  may  the  better  command  and 
direct  the  interest  of  this  intended  line.  General  Smith,  by  General 
Couch's  orders,  directed  the  line  to  be  established  as  above  indicated, 
and  that  rifle  pits  be  thrown  up  at  or  near  Lyon's  Farm,  about  six  miles 
from  here  on  the  State  Road,  nearly  on  a  line  with  Captain  Bell's  position 


201 

who  starts  to-day  with  some  of  his  men;  the  balance  remain  here  under 
Captain  Jolly. 

The  companies  coming  from  Broad  Top  and  elsewhere  will  report 
to  you  at  this  place —  — .  You  will  hear  from  Major  Lawrence 

commanding  soon  again. 

F.  H.  LANE, 

First  Lieutenant  and  Acting  Aid. 

The  history  of  the  services  of  the  I25th  Regiment  can  never  be 
fully  recorded,  for  there  were  perils  encountered  and  sufferings 
endured  and  exploits  performed  by  individual  members,  of  whom 
many  are  dead,  who  left  no  written  record  of  their  deeds,  but  the 
committee  obtained  from  some  of  the  comrades  living  interesting 
contributions  to  the  unwritten  history  of  the  war,  which  are  here 
inserted : 

LEVI  DECKER,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  H. 

At  Antietam,  at  the  bluff  of  rocks  near  Dunker  church,  while 
firing,  I  got  my  first  wound,  a  bullet  through  my  left  shoulder,  and 
on  our  way  back,  at  the  Pike  I  got  my  second  wound,  a  bullet 
through  my  left  arm.  I  was  still  able  to  travel,  and  got  about 
half-way  from  the  Pike  to  the  battery  when  I  got  my  third  wound 
from  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy,  a  bullet  in  my  right  hip,  which 
fetched  me  to  the  ground.  I  laid  there  between  the  lines  probably 
two  or  three  hours,  until  I  recovered  from  the  shock,  and  then 
got  up  and  made  my  way  painfully  through  the  line  of  battle  at 
the  cornfield  and  down  through  the  woods  to  the  big  spring,  where 
I  got  my  wounds  dressed.  When  the  Confederates  shelled  it  I 
crossed  the  field  over  to  the  road  at  the  woods  and  got  into  an 
ambulance,  which  took  me  to  a  house  in  the  rear,  out  of  range  of 
the  Confederate  fire,  where  I  laid  until  September  27th,  and 
was  then  taken  to  Frederick  City  Hospital,  where  I  remained 
until  discharged,  December  i/th,  1862,  unfitted  for  further  duty, 
and  this  ended  my  military  service. 

JOHN  HEFFNER,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  F. 

After  the  battle  of  Antietam,  Charles  Crohers  and  myself 
buried  five  of  our  comrades  in  a  hole  made  by  taking  out  lime 
stone  in  the  woods  near  Dunker  church.  One  was  James  Deer- 
field,  another  was  Corbin ;  the  other  three  I  don't  remember.  We 


202 

also  buried  Benjamin  Cunningham  back  on  the  field  about  half 
a  mile  from  there.  I  helped  to  bury  other  dead  soldiers  for  a  day 
or  two  on  Maryland  Heights.  We  found  a  number  of  unburied 
bodies  where  General  Miles  had  surrendered. 

H.  H.  GREGG,  CAPTAIN,  COMPANY  H. 

When  mustered  out  with  the  Regiment  in  May,  1863,  promptly 
re-entered  the  service  as  Captain  in  the  I3th  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry.  In  1864  he  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Major,  and  for 
meritorious  conduct  was  brevetted  successively  as  Major  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  On  the  application  of  Governor  Curtin  he 
was  honorably  discharged  from  service,  on  order  of  the  Secretary 
of  War,  on  April  5,  1865,  and  appointed  Chief  of  State  Trans 
portation  and  Military  Secretary  of  the  Governor,  which  position 
he  held  also  under  Governor  Geary  until  1868.  During  his  service 
with  the  1 3th  Cavalry  Regiment  he  participated  in  a  number  of 
engagements,  was  twice  made  prisoner  of  war,  and  spent  several 
months  in  Libby  Prison,  Richmond,  and  at  Danville,  Va.,  and 
Saulsbury,  N.  C. 

WILLIAM  H.  SIMPSON,  CAPTAIN,  COMPANY  F. 
In  1 86 1  he  enlisted  in  the  Petersburg  company  for  three  months 
as  second  lieutenant  of  Company  "  H,"  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 
under  General  Patterson.  Re-entered  as  Captain,  Company  "  F," 
1 25th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  served  with  the 
regiment  during  its  term  of  nine  months.  Was  wounded  at 
Antietam  in  the  right  shoulder,  and  at  Chancellorsville  slightly 
wounded  in  the  face. 

STEPHEN  AIKEN,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  D. 

"  Was  wounded  at  Antietam  by  a  bullet  in  the  face  and  neck, 
breaking  the  jaw  bone  and  unfitting  me  for  further  service.  I  was 
three  days  and  nights. on  the  battlefield,  and  was  then  taken  to 
Hagerstown,  thence  to  Chambersburg,  and  then  to  the  Cotton 
Factory  Hospital,  at  Harrisburg,  and  was  discharged  March 
1 3th,  1863,  as  unfit  for  service." 

W.  R.  STRICKLER,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  F. 
"  When  our  regiment  was  ordered  into  the  woods  at  Dunker 


203 

church,  our  skirmishers  had  not  advanced  more  than  fifty  yards 
when  they  were  driven  back  and  we  opened  fire.  A  brigade  of 
Confederates  came  up  through  the  woods,  with  another  coming  up 
outside  at  a  "right-shoulder-shift,"  double-quick  into  line.  Our 
regiment,  having  delivered  its  fire  and  being  unsupported,  had 
fallen  back  under  orders,  and  I  started  down  over  the  brow  of  the 
hill  into  the  field,  and  was  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the 
church  when  the  Confederates  formed  into  line  in  front  of  the 
church.  My  gun  was  loaded,  and  I  was  in  the  act  of  firing  when 
McCowen's  battery  came  dashing  up,  nearly  running  over  me, 
unlimbered  and  opened  fire  with  grape  and  canister.  As  I  stood 
and  watched,  the  shots  cut  great  gaps  in  the  Confederate  line, 
which  they  quickly  closed  up  again,  and  meanwhile  opened  out 
with  musketry.  The  bullets  came  too  thick  for  me,  and  while 
getting  out  of  range  a  "  minnie  "  went  through  my  left  thigh,  but 
I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  Confederates  driven  back.  I 
was  laid  up  in  the  hospital  with  my  wound  for  three  months." 

FREDERICK  W.  GERHARD,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  D. 

"  At  Fort  Bernard  we  were  drilled  in  the  use  of  artillery,  mus 
ket,  pick  and  shovel.  At  Dunker  church  I  did  not  hear  the  order 
to  retreat,  and  fired  off  my  gun  and  then  started  for  the  rear  of 
our  battery,  which  was  then  doing  good  work,  supported  by  our 
comrades,  who  were  re-forming  in  line  behind  it.  I  found  on  the 
field  a  better  gun  than  mine  and  traded,  and  lying  beside  a  dead 
Confederate  was  a  leather  case  holding  a  knife,  fork  and  spoon 
which  I  appropriated.  A  wounded  '  Reb  '  asked  me  to  help  him 
to  a  shady  place,  but  on  getting  him  to  his  feet  he  was  unable  to 
walk,  as  part  of  his  bowels  were  hanging  out,  and  I  was  com 
pelled  to  leave  him." 

DAVID  R.  DONNELY,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  B. 

"  I  received  a  bullet  in  my  left  thigh,  while  in  the  front  near  the 
Dunker  church.  While  disabled  by  my  wound  I  was  in  the  hos 
pital  at  1 6th  and  Filbert  Streets,  Philadelphia.  In  December  I 
returned  to  my  regiment,  in  London  Valley,  and  participated  in 
all  the  remaining  marches  and  perils,  including  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville." 


204 

THOMAS  L.  ENGARD,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  C. 

"  Re-enlisted  August,  1864,  as  corporal  in  Company  B,  2o8th 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  *  Volunteers,  and  won  distinction  in  the 
battle  of  Fort  Steadman,  March  25th,  1865.  The  field  officer 
being  absent,  my  captain  assumed  command  of  the  regiment  and 
put  me  in  command  of  the  skirmish  line.  Our  standard-bearer 
was  shot  through  the  body,  but  I  gave  the  word  forward  to  my 
men,  and  our  movement  was  followed  by  the  entire  line,  resulting 
in  the  glorious  victory  and  the  capture  of  many  times  our  number 
of  prisoners.  At  Petersburg,  April  2d,  1865,  I  got  four  gunshot 
wounds.  Next  day,  with  a  sergeant  also  wounded,  going  through 
Petersburg,  we  got  a  Union  flag  and  took  it  to  the  Staff  House 
roof.  A  Union  general,  passing  by,  hailed  us  and  inquired  what 
we  were  doing,  and  we  replied,  "  Old  Glory  must  float."  When 
the  troops  came  up  he  said,  "  See  what  two  wounded  soldiers 
have  done,"  and  the  cheering  was  deafening.  We  responded  by 
waving  our  caps.  The  sergeant's  tongue  was  half  shot  away,  so 
he  could  n't  cheer,  but  he  stamped  on  that  old  tin  roof  and  made 
as  much  noise  as  a  dozen  men.  I  was  sent  to  City  Point  Hospital, 
thence  to  Alexandria  Hospital.  After  the  assassination  of  Presi- 
-dent  Lincoln  I  was  discharged  from  Fairfax  Hospital,  Va.,  and 
went  home." 

HENRY  C.  WARFEL,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  I. 

"  At  the  expiration  of  my  term  of  service  with  the  I25th  Regi 
ment  I  served  in  Company  A,  First  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  Bat 
talion.  WTas  awarded  a  medal  of  honor  by  act  of  Congress  for 
capturing  a  Confederate  flag  in  the  battle  of  Fann  Crossroads,  Va., 
April  5th,  1865.  Was  on  the  skirmish  line  at  Lee's  surrender, 
April  Qth,  1865.  Discharged  at  Bladensburg,  Md.,  May  27th, 
1865."' 

LEVI  G.  HECK,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  H. 

"  Mustered  out  May,  1863.  Re-enlisted  February  I4th,  1864, 
in  Company  I,  2ist  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  was  pro 
moted  to  first  lieutenant  September  3d,  by  order  of  the  Secretary 
of  War,  and  assigned  to  the  I27th  Regiment,  United  States  Col 
ored  Infantry,  under  General  B.  F.  Tracy  (since  Secretary  of  the 
Navy).  With  this  regiment  I  did  duty  at  Richmond  and  Peters- 


205 

burg,  participating  in  the  capture  of  the  latter  city,  April  2(1, 
1865.  Was  also  at  the  surrender  of  Lee  at  Appomattox,  after 
which  we  were  sent  to  Texas  under  General  Sheridan  to  finish  up 
the  Rebellion,  landing  at  Bragos,  Santiago,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  in  May,  where  we  remained  until  finally  dis 
charged  September  Qth,  1865." 

ANDREW  GEIST,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  F. 

"  Discharged  with  the  regiment,  May,  1863.  Re-enlisted  De 
cember,  1863,  on  Third  Heavy  Artillery,  on  Fortress  Monroe,  and 
on  April  1st,  1864,  was  transferred  to  field  duty  with  the  i88th 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  On  June  3d,  1864,  was  wounded  in 
right  leg,  at  Cold  Harbor,  which  laid  me  up  for  six  months  in 
the  hospital.  I  then  returned  to  my  regiment,  until  June,  1865, 
when  I  contracted  fever  and  was  taken  to  Lee  Hospital,  Rich 
mond,  Va.,  for  two  months,  and  then  rejoined  the  regiment  and 
served  until  December  I4th,  1865,  when  we  were  mustered  out 
of  service  at  City  Point,  Va.,  and  discharged  at  Philadelphia, 
December  iQth,  1865." 

EDWARD  L.  Russ,  SERGEANT,  COMPANY  D. 

"  I  was  shot  through  the  abdomen  at  Dunker  church  during  the 
battle  of  Antietam,  in  September,  1862.  While  lying  wounded  a 
Confederate  ran  up,  seemingly  to  bayonet  and  rob  me,  but,  picking 
up  an  ambrotype  picture,  he  asked,  '  Is  this  yours  ?  '  I  replied, 
'  Yes,  that  is  my  dear  wife.'  He  at  once  placed  it  in  my  hand, 
gazed  at  me  for  a  moment,  and  hastily  rejoined  his  comrades 
among  the  storm  of  death-dealing  missiles.  Six  of  my  comrades 
of  Company  '  D  '  risked  their  lives  in  saving  me  from  the  exposed 
position  in  which  I  lay.  The  surgeon  pronounced  my  wound  a 
mortal  one.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  21  st  I  was  taken  to  the 
Lyceum  Hospital,  at  Hagerstown,  in  charge  of  Doctor  George  W. 
Nebinger,  of  Philadelphia,  whose  skill  and  untiring  attention  to 
wounded  soldiers  deserves  honorable  mention." 

BRINTON  GLUCK,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  K. 

Says :     "  At  Antietam  three  of  my  comrades  were  shot  down 
by  my  side.     I  have  very  vivid  recollections  of  seeing  General 


206 

Mansfield  fall  wounded  from  his  horse,  not  more  than  twenty  feet 
from  me.  The  enemy  had  just  let  loose  shot  and  shell  on  us 
and  we  were  ordered  to  lie  down,  and  while  in  that  position 
Mansfield  rode  up  to  the  crest  of  the  hill  right  on  our  front.  Cap 
tain  Gardiner  detailed  Kho  and  Burhammer  and  Edmanton,  and 
one  other  comrade,  who  carried  him  to  the  rear  on  their  muskets 
to  the  loth  Maine  comrades,  who  carried  him  to  the  hospital/" 

JACOB  GLUCK,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  K. 

"  In  the  battle  of  Antietam,  when  General  Mansfield  was  shot 
whilst  on  his  horse,  one  of  the  men  detailed  by  Captain  Gardiner 
to  carry  him  to  the  rear  was  standing  next  to  me  in  the  ranks. 
During  the  battle  our  lieutenant  and  myself  and  three  other  com 
rades  drew  a  brass  cannon  back  from  near  Dunker  church  to  the 
rear,  about  half  a  mile." 

MICHAEL  B.  BRENNEMAN,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  C. 

"  At  Antietam  I  was  wounded  and  carried  off  the  field  by  Com 
rades  Lincoln  and  McDevitt  to  the  Poffenberger  barn.  In  about 
ten  days  our  friends  got  J.  E.  Robb,  J.  R.  Knode  and  myself 
removed  to  Huntingdon,  where  I  remained  five  weeks  before  I 
was  able  to  get  home,  and  it  was  two  months  before  I  got  about 
on  crutches.  In  March  I  went  to  the  Cotton  Factory  Hospital,  at 
Harrisburg,  and  was  discharged  from  service  on  April  6th,  1863, 
on  account  of  disability." 

W.  S.  HOAR,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  D. 

"I  was  wounded  at  Antietam,  September  I7th,  1862;  dis 
charged  for  disability  at  Camp  Convalescent,  near  Alexandria,  Va., 
January  pth,  1863.  Re-enlisted  June  I3th,  1864,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
Company  '  B,'  I77th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  with  this 
regiment  took  part  in  Hood's  defeat,  at  Nashville,  Tenn.  At  Fort 
Fisher,  N.  C.,  also  with  the  Twenty-third  Army  Corps,  in  opening 
Cape  Fear  River,  and  capture  of  Wilmington,  N.  C.  Was  again 
wounded  at  the  capture  of  Fort  Anderson,  February  iQth,  1864, 
and  was  sent  to  Marine  Hospital,  at  Wilmington,  N.  C. ;  thence 
to  David's  Island  Hospital,  East  River,  N.  Y.,  and  finally  dis 
charged  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  July  6th,  1865." 


207 

EUGENE  J.  BOBLITS,  CORPORAL,  COMPANY  H. 

Born  December  21,  1846,  he  was  probably  one  of  the  young 
est  soldiers  in  the  army.  He  was  one  of  the  color-guard  at 
Antietam,  and  when  that  gallant  color-bearer,  Sergeant  George 
A.  Simpson,  was  killed,  Boblits  bore  the  colors  until  he  was  also 
prostrated  by  a  bullet,  which  left  him  crippled  for  life. 

SAMUEL  S.  HEDRICK,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  H. 

Served  with  the  regiment  until  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Antietam,  and  later  was  discharged  from  the  service,  November 
2 ist,  1862,  on  surgeon's  certificate.  Re-enlisted  March  i6th, 
1864,  in  Company  "  B,"  I3th  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and 
served  until  mustered  out  at  Raleigh,  N.  C,  July  I4th,  1865. 

JOSEPH  C.  GARNER,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  B. 

Served  with  this  regiment  until  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville,  May  2d,  1863.  Disabled  by  a  bullet  wound  in 
his  right  knee;  cared  for  at  the  field  hospital  until  discharged 
with  the  regiment  at  Harrisburg,  May  i8th,  1863. 

JOHN  OSCAR  MOORE,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  F. 

'  The  South  Mountain  and  Antietam  march  and  battle,  the 
unbroken  fast,  emptying  canteen,  sharp-shooters,  suspense,  advance 
on  Dunker  church,  the  bursting  shell  that  did  the  blood-letting  for 
me,  the  awful  carnage,  daring  deeds  of  the  boys,  the  solemn  roll- 
call  on  that  eventful  evening  with  the  ground  thickly  strewn  with 
dead  and  dying,  are  memories  that  will  never  be  effaced.  Our 
return  home  and  discharge  will  doubtless  be  told  by  others.  In 
1865  I  was  present  at  Lincoln's  Inauguration,  saw  the  Grand 
Review,  Lincoln's  funeral,  and  the  execution  of  some  of  his 
assassins." 

ELIAS  A.  ZEEK,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  C. 

"  At  the  battle  of  Antietam  part  of  the  bone  of  my  right  arm 
was  shot  away.  I  lay  two  weeks  in  the  battlefield  barn  hospital, 
was  then  sent  to  the  Walnut  Street  Hospital,  Harrisburg,  and  in 
November  was  discharged  for  disability." 


208 

WALTER  W.  GREENLAND,  SECOND  SERGEANT,  COMPANY  C. 

At  the  battle  of  Antietam,  where  the  troops  were  falling  back, 
and  our  gallant  color-bearer,  Sergeant  George  A.  Simpson,  was 
shot  and  fell  dead  with  the  flag  in  his  hands  and  other  comrades 
snatched  the  colors  and  were  quickly  wounded,  Sergeant  Green 
land  bravely  secured  the  flag  and  surrendered  it  to  his  captain, 
who  used  it  to  rally  the  regiment.  He  rose  to  distinction  in  civil 
life,  and  on  March  8th,  1892,  was  appointed  Adjutant-General  of 
Pennsylvania  by  Governor  Pattison. 

GEORGE  S  PR  AN  RLE,  PRIVATE,  COMPANY  C. 

Was  wounded  at  Antietam,  but  remained  in  the  service  until 
mustered  out  with  his  company,  May  i8th,  1863. 

HILL  P.  WILSON,  FIRST  SERGEANT,  COMPANY  B. 

Re-enlisted  and  served  as  captain  of  Company  "  I,"  in  Stevens' 
Regiment,  in  the  defence  of  Nashville,  Tenn.  In  1865  he  served 
under  Captain  Hamell  in  charge  of  United  States  military  railroad 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1868  he  was  serviceable  to  General 
Sheridan  during  his  campaign  against  the  Cheyenne  warriors ; 
in  1878,  postmaster;  1879,  bank  president;  in  1888,  State  Sen 
ator,  and  in  1891,  receiver  of  public  money  of  the  United  States 
Land  Office,  at  Wakeeney,  Kansas. 

FRANK  H.  LANE,  SECOND  LIEUTENANT,  COMPANY  F. 

"  At  Chancellorsville  I  received  the  thanks  of  General  Geary 
for  meritorious  services.  I  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment 
at  Harrisburg,  on  May  i8th,  1863.  Shortly  afterwards,  when 
the  word  reached  Huntingdon  that  the  Confederate  army  was 
coming  into  Pennsylvania  and  advancing  to  Mt.  Union  to  hold  or 
destroy  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  the  alarm  was  sounded  by 
the  Court  House  bell.  The  old  soldiers  assembled  and  quickly 
organized,  with  Major  John  J.  Lawrence  in  command,  assisted 
by  Captain  Wallace  and  myself.  Arriving  at  Mt.  Union,  we 
occupied  the  approach.  By  morning  we  were  heavily  reinforced 
by  other  troops.  General  McDowell  by  telegram  directed  Major 
Lawrence  to  command  the  post.  I  was  assigned  to  duty  as  aide 
and  scout.  Captain  Wallace,  in  command  of  some  sharp-shooters, 


209 

proceeded  down  the  valley  on  a  reconnoissance.  He  advanced  to 
Orbisenia,  thence  to  Three  Springs,  thence  to  Fort  Littleton,  then 
to  the  side  of  the  Cove  Mountain  near  where  the  pike  crosses  the 
summit,  near  McConnellsburg,  where  he  met  the  Confederate 
advance,  numbering  about  3000  soldiers,  including  cavalry,  artil 
lery  and  infantry.  Word  reached  me  at  Fort  Littleton  that  they 
were  approaching  McConnelsburg,  and,  mounting  a  fleet  horse, 
I  arrived  just  in  time  to  see  the  Union  cavalry  moving  to  the  rear 
and  Captain  Wallace  and  his  sharp-shooters  moving  cautiously 
along  the  pike  toward  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  Keeping  well 
covered  by  timber  and  other  obstructions,  when  the  enemy's 
advance  came  around  the  summit  and  came  well  under  range,  they 
were  received  with  volleys  which  so  surprised  and  checked  their 
movement  that  they  did  not  advance  beyond  the  town.  They 
reported  several  of  their  men  killed  and  wounded.  Only  one  Union 
man  was  wounded." 

HORACE  B.  KEMP,   CORPORAL,  COMPANY  G. 

Is  not  officially  mentioned  among  the  union  martyrs  of  the 
regiment,  but  he  served  creditably  at  Antietam  and  Chancellors- 
ville,  and  died  shortly  after  his  return  home,  from  disease  con 
tracted  in  the  service,  aged  21  years. 


14 


RE-UNION 


OF  THE 


i25TH    REGIMENT 

Pennsylvania   Volunteers 


AT 


ANTIETAM 

1888 


REVEILLE, 

Z 


I  can't  get  'em  up,  I  can't  get  'eia  up, 
I  can't  get  'em  up,  I  tell  you  ; 
I  can't  get  'em  up,  T  can't  get  'em  up, 
I  can't  get  'em  up  at  all. 

The  Corporal 's  worse  than  the  Private, 
The  Sergeant's  worse  than  the  Corporal, 


The  Lieutenant 's  worse  than  the  Sergeants 
But  the  Captain  's  worst  of  all. 

I  can't  get  'em  up,  I  can't  get  'em  up, 
1  can't  get  'em  up  this  morning; 
I  can't  get  'em  up,  I  can't  get  'em  up, 
I  can't  get  'em  up  to-day. 


ASSEMBLY— "FALL   IN! 


FATIGUE  CALL. 


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Dr.  Thomas  says,  Dr.  Thomas  says, 

Come  and  get  your  Quine— Quine — Quine — Quinine, 

Come  and  get  your  Quinine, 

Q — ii— i — n — i — n — e  ! ! ! 

TAPS. 


Oh  !  these  were  Bugle  Echoes  !  that  inspired  the  Soldier  Muse 
With  ready  wit  and  humor  to  antidote  the  blues. 


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RE-UNION 


OF  THE 


i25TH    REGIMENT 

Pennsylvania  Volunteers 


AT 


ANTIETAM 

SEPTEMBER     17,     1904 


SURVIVING  COMRADES  GROUPED  IN  FRONT 
OF  THE    MONUMENT    AT    ITS    DEDICATION 


s-i 


REUNION     OF    THE     i25th     REGIMENT 
AT  ANTIETAM,  SEPTEMBER   17,  1904. 

* 

The  reunion  of  the  1251!!  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 
and  the  ceremonies  attending  the  unveiling  and  dedication  of  the 
monument  erected  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  in  com 
memoration  and  in  honor  of  the  noble  dead  of  the  regiment,  who 
so  bravely  gave  their  lives  for  their  country  on  Antietam  battle 
field,  was  held  near  the  Dunker  church,  on  the  battlefield,  Satur 
day,  September  17,  1904,  at  the  hour  of  ten  o'clock,  A.  M.,  and 
was  presided  over  by  Captain  William  W.  Wallace,  president  of 
the  Regimental  Association.  The  following  programme  was  car 
ried  out: 

Calling  Meeting  to  Order. 

Prayer,    Rev.   Dr.   T.   Flood. 

Remarks,    President    of    Association. 

Song,    Miss   Cora  Eynon   Hicks. 

Unveiling   of   Monument,    Miss   Annie    Simpson. 

Address,     Lieut.     Thomas     McCamant,     Co.     C. 

Addresses,    Other   Members   of   Regiment. 

Miscellaneous   Business. 

Song — "America,"     Audience. 

Benediction. 

Captain  William  W.  Wallace  called  the  meeting  to  order 
promptly  at  ten  o'clock  at  the  monument,  in  a  brief  opening 
address,  as  follows : 

Comrades  of  Fort  Bernard,  Picket  Line  of  Second  Bull  Run,  South 
Mountain,  Antietam,  Chancellorsville  and  Cove  Mountain :  I  am  glad 
to  meet  and  greet  you  again  on  this  historic  battlefield  under  happier 
conditions  than  confronted  us  on  our  first  visit  to  this  spot ;  as  the 
senior  surviving  officer,  and  President  of  our  Regimental  Association,  I 
am  called  to  preside  on  this  occasion,  and  as  other  comrades  will  address 
you  in  detail,  I  will  occupy  but  a  few  minutes  of  your  time  in  these 
opening  remarks. 

Forty-two  years  ago  a  patriotic  band  of  citizen  soldiers  from  Hunting 
don  and  Blair  counties,  Pennsylvania  (including  about  forty  from 
Cambria  county),  in  all  about  700  men,  who  had  left  their  farms  and 

219 


220 

other  occupation  in  civil  life,  and  with  only  four  weeks'  training,  then 
comprised  the  fighting  force  of  the  One  Hundred  and  twenty-fifth  Regi 
ment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  marched  across  this  open  field  of  car 
nage,  exposed  to  a  destructive  fire  from  a  concealed  foe,  and  reached  this 
extreme  front  position,  far  in  advance  of  the  regular  line  of  battle.  It 
is  not  my  province  as  chairman  to  anticipate  other  speakers  in  narrating 
the  tragic  incidents  and  details  of  that  thrilling  encounter  with  the 
Confederates  sheltered  behind  their  barriers  of  rocks  and  trees  and 
thickets,  but  it  was  soon  evident  that  we  were  at  a  terrible  disadvantage 
"  out  in  the  open,"  and  that  to  push  on  against  a  larger  force,  they  in 
trenched  and  we  unsupported,  was  to  incur  risk  of  capture  or  annihilation, 
and  it  was  wisely  decided  to  retire  to  the  rear  of  our  batteries,  which 
promptly  opened  at  close  range  with  such  telling  effect,  that  the  Con 
federates  speedily  abandoned  their  purpose  to  advance,  and  took  refuge 
again  in  their  hiding  places. 

The  sun  went  down  that  day  on  the  "  bloodiest  one-day  battlefield  of 
the  War."  On  our  part  it  was  a  drawn  battle,  in  which  both  sides  lost 
heavily.  We  slept  on  our  arms,  expecting  to  renew  and  fight  to  a  finish 
next  day,  but  our  brave  foe  had  had  enough,  it  seems,  of  Pennsylvania's 
greetings,  and  withdrew  to  the  other  side  of  the  Potomac,  leaving  us  in 
possession  of  the  dearly  bought  field.  Our  total  loss  was  229  in  killed 
and  wounded  (of  whom  84  being  slightly  wounded  but  not  disabled, 
were  not  reported  officially). 

It  is  to  the  precious  memory  of  those  gallant  comrades  who  fell  by  our 
side  on  that  eventful  day  in  defence  of  our  country,  "  its  national  integrity 
and  unity,"  that  this  monument  has  been  erected  by  a  grateful  Common 
wealth  to  perpetuate  through  coming  generations  for  all  time,  a  recogni 
tion  of  their  heroic  devotion  and  sacrifice  unto  death,  and  a  veneration 
for  those  brave  and  loyal  sons  of  Pennsylvania,  and  we,  their  surviving 
comrades,  are  now  assembled  to  dedicate  it  with  appropriate  ceremonies. 

We  have  with  us  to-day  the  sister  of  our  lamented  color  bearer,  George 
A.  Simpson,  whose  image  is  sculptured  in  granite  and  properly  stands 
on  this  pedestal,  and  which  Miss  Annie  Simpson  will  now  unveil  to  your 
gaze. 

And  now  Comrades  !  every  thoughtful  mind  gives  ready  assent  to  the 
truth  and  force  of  Hamlet's  utterance,  that  "  there  is  a  Divinity  that 
shapes  our  ends,  rough  hew  them  how  we  will,"  and  it  is  eminently 
proper  that  we,  American  citizens  and  soldiers,  "  in  all  our  ways  should 
acknowledge  Him,  who  doeth  according  to  His  will  in  the  army  of 
Heaven,  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,"  who  overrules  evil 
for  good  in  human  affairs,  and  whose  benign  agency  and  control  has  been 
conspicuously  manifest  in  behalf  of  our  Nation  from  its  origin  down  to 
the  present  hour. 

Let  us  therefore  lift  up  our  thoughts  devoutly  to  the  author  of  our 
being,  and  the  source  of  all  power,  while  a  comrade,  now  present,  who 
received  his  first  baptism  of  fire  near  this  spot,  who  was  then  Orderly 
Sergeant  of  the  Color  Company,  leads  us  in  prayer.  I  allude  to  the  Rev. 
Theodore  L.  Flood,  D.D.,  of  Meadville,  Pa. 


221 

PRAYER  BY  DR.  T.   L.   FLOOD. 

O  God,  our  Father  and  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
we  bow  our  spirits  and  worship  Thee  on  this  ground,  consecrated  by  the 
blood  of  our  comrades  and  friends,  and  where  many  of  us  faced  death 
itself  that  we  might  perpetuate  this  nation.  We  give  Thee  thanks  that 
we  live  to  see  this  day — that  we  may  come  together  to  speak  of  the 
deeds  of  valor  and  of  the  noble  men  who  fell  in  our  regiment  and  in 
our  great  army  on  the  day  of  battle  more  than  forty  years  ago. 

We  thank  Thee  that  Thou  didst  direct  our  fathers  in  the  early  days 
of  our  Nation's  history,  and  that  Thou  didst  give  them  wisdom  and 
courage  to  lay  the  foundations  of  this  Republic.  We  give  Thee  thanks 
for  the  wisdom  and  statesmanship  of  the  great  men  who  perpetuated  this 
nation  by  their  wise  action  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  and  in  the  Executive 
Mansion  at  Washington.  And  when  we  think  of  the  battles  that  were 
fought  in  the  Civil  War,  the  defeats  that  were  suffered  and  the  victories 
won,  we  raise  our  hearts  to  Thee  in  thanksgiving  for  the  victory  achieved 
on  this  battlefield,  and  we  thank  Thee  for  the  noble  part  our  regiment 
was  permitted  to  take  in  that  conflict. 

And,  now,  we  return  to  Thee  gratitude  that  so  many  brave  men  who 
fought  here  survive  until  this  day.  We  beseech  Thee  to  bless  the  widows 
and  orphans  of  our  comrades  who  fell  in  that  battle.  Bless  all  the  com 
rades  who  remain,  and  may  our  gathering  to-day  be  an  inspiration  of 
patriotic  devotion  to  our  country,  and  may  we  here  at  the  altar  of  liberty, 
which  has  been  an  altar  of  sacrifice,  consecrate  ourselves  anew  to  the 
preservation  of  this  Republic  and  to  the  perpetuation  of  free  institutions. 

Inspire  the  men  who  shall  speak  on  this  occasion,  and  may  we  all 
carry  to  our  homes  an  increased  love  for  our  country,  and  our  country's 
flag. 

Bless  our  army  and  navy,  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  his 
Cabinet  and  our  National  Congress.  Bless  the  Governor  of  this  Common 
wealth  and  our  State  Legislature.  Guide  us  all  in  the  way  of  peace  that 
we  may  never  again  be  called  to  engage  in  civil  strife,  but  that  we 
may  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bonds  of  peace. 

These  blessings  we  ask  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 

The  battle  hymn  of  the  Republic  was  then  sung  by  Miss  Cora 
Eyon  Hicks,  of  Altoona,  and  Mr.  Frank  M.  Waring,  of  Tyrone, 
the  comrades  joining  in  the  chorus. 

Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord; 
He  is  trampling  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes  of  wrath  are  stored  • 
He  hath  loosed  the  fateful  lightning  of  His  terrible  swift  sword; 
His  truth  is  marching  on. 

I  have  seen  Him  in  the  watch-fires  of  a  hundred  circling  camps, 
They  have  builded  Him  an  altar  in  the  evening  dews  and  damps ; 
I  can  read  His  righteous  sentence  by  the  dim  and  flaring  lamps ; 
His  day  is  marching  on. 


222 

He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat; 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  His  judgment  seat: 
Oh,  be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  Him!  be  jubilant  my  feet! 
Our  God  is  marching  on. 

In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies  Christ  was  born  across  the  sea, 
With  a  glory  in  his  bosom  that  transfigures  you  and  me; 
As  he  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make  men  free, 
While  God  is  marching  on. 


The  Hon.  Thomas  McCamant,  late  lieutenant  of  Company 
"  G,"  was  then  introduced  and  delivered  the  following  address : 

ADDRESS  OF  LIEUTENANT  THOMAS  MCCAMANT,  OF  COMPANY  G. 

Comrades  and  Friends:  Forty-two  years  have  passed  and 
gone  since  less  than  seven  hundred  men  and  boys,  only  forty  days 
from  their  homes  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Juniata,  in  Blair 
and  Huntingdon  Counties,  Pennsylvania,  with  an  adjunct  of  sixty 
men,  brought  to  them  from  the  neighboring  county  of  Cambria 
by  our  comrade  and  friend,  Lieutenant  Dunnegan,  met  and  battled 
on  the  ground  where  we  now  stand,  with  a  foe  that  was  our  equal 
in  courage  and  valor. 

Almost  one  and  one-half  years  had  elapsed  since  the  com 
mencement  of  the  war  between  the  States  of  the  South  and  North, 
and  bitterness  which  has  since  disappeared  was  then  very  nearly 
at  its  height. 

Both  North  and  South  contended  for  the  mastery  with  earnest 
ness  and  obstinacy,  and  though  we  feel  justified  in  calling  the  bat 
tle  here  fought  a  Federal  success,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  in 
previous  engagements  in  the  East  between  the  armies  of  the  North 
and  the  armies  of  the  South,  prestige  of  victory  had  generally 
been  on  the  side  of  the  South. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac,  made  up  of  troops  recruited  prin 
cipally  in  States  of  the  North,  that  had  been  encamped  within  the 
defences  of  Washington  during  the  winter  of  1861-1862,  was,  in 
April  of  the  latter  year,  transferred  to  Fortress  Monroe,  and  by 
degrees  advanced  to  Fair  Oaks,  a  point  within  five  miles  of  the 
city  of  Richmond  (the  seat  of  government  of  the  Southern  Con 
federacy),  when  disaster  befell  it,  and  it  subsequently  met  with  a 
succession  of  defeats  in  what  are  known  as  the  Seven  Days'  bat- 


223 

ties,  that  ended  at  Malvern  Hill  on  July  first;  and  it  then  retired 
to  Harrison's  Landing,  on  the  James  river. 

The  disaster  at  Fair  Oaks  and  the  subsequent  Seven  Days' 
battles  around  Richmond,  followed  by  the  retirement  of  the  army 
to  Harrison's  Landing,  caused  a  feeling  of  depression  in  the 
North,  but  the  people  of  that  section  soon  recovered  hope,  and 
saw  that  in  order  to  crush  the  Rebellion  in  the  Southern  states 
and  restore  the  Union,  the  armies  in  the  field  must  be  recruited 
to  their  maximum  strength ;  and  the  governors  of  the  several 
states  that  had  espoused  the  Federal  cause,  knowing  full  well  that 
their  people  were  of  the  same  mind  with  themselves  and  would 
sustain  them  in  efforts  made  to  strengthen  our  armies  in  the  field, 
addressed  a  communication  to  President  Lincoln  on  June  22d,  ask 
ing  him  to  call  for  additional  troops  to  assist  in  bringing  the  Civil 
War  to  a  close. 

To  this  communication  the  President  made  reply  on  July  ist, 
and  said  he  had  decided  to  call  into  service  an  additional  force  of 
300,000  men,  and  an  order  to  this  effect  was  issued  the  following 
day. 

On  July  7th,  C.  P.  Buckingham,  brigadier-general  and  assist 
ant  adjutant-general,  sent  a  dispatch  to  Governor  Curtin  request 
ing  him  to  raise  in  Pennsylvania,  as  soon  as  practicable,  twenty- 
one  new  regiments  of  volunteer  infantry,  and  on  July  2ist  the 
Governor  issued  his  proclamation  calling  for  the  said  twenty-one 
new  regiments  of  infantry. 

Under  this  call  of  the  President,  of  July  2d,  1862,  and  the 
proclamation  of  Governor  Curtin,  of  July  2ist,  1862,  the  I25th 
Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  was  raised,  mainly  in  the 
counties  of  Blair  and  Huntingdon.  Enlistments  in  the  different 
companies  were  made  purely  out  of  patriotic  motives,  and,  in  less 
than  two  weeks'  time,  the  regiment  had  in  its  ranks  men  from 
all  walks  in  life ;  the  representative  citizen,  the  professional  man, 
the  man  of  business,  the  mechanic,  the  farmer,  and  the  day  laborer 
were  found  among  its  numbers.  A  few  of  the  men  of  the  regi 
ment  had  seen  service  in  the  late  war  with  Mexico,  some  had  been 
members  of  local  military  organizations  before  the  Civil  War, 
others  had  been  in  the  late  three  months'  service,  but  the  great 
majority  of  its  members  had  no  previous  military  experience. 

The  several  companies  rendezvoused  at  Camp  Curtin,  near 
Harrisburg,  early  in  the  month  of  August,  and  were  mustered  into 


224 

United  States  service  daily  from  the  loth  to  the  i6th  of  the 
month.  On  the  latter  date  the  regiment  was  organized  and 
departed  that  night  for  Washington.  It  reached  there  at  noon 
the  next  day,  and  reported  to  General  Casey,  in  command  at  that 
point.  Arms  were  stacked  on  Capitol  Hill,  where  the  regiment 
remained  until  the  following  morning,  and  then  moved  out  Penn 
sylvania  avenue  to  the  Potomac  river,  crossed  the  same  on  the 
Long  Bridge,  and,  after  marching  into  the  state  of  Virginia,  a  dis 
tance  of  perhaps  seven  miles,  halted  at  Hunter's  Chapel,  where 
the  artillery  of  Blenker's  division  lay  encamped  the  preceding  win 
ter.  The  regiment  was  made  a  part  of  General  Whipple's  com 
mand,  in  charge  of  the  defences  of  Washington,  and  the  camp  we 
established  here  was  named  Camp  Welles,  after  Gideon  Welles, 
then  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

We  were  the  first  of  the  new  troops  from  Pennsylvania  to 
come  here,  but  other  regiments  arrived  daily,  and  the  camp  was 
soon  filled  to  overflowing.  Drill  and  fatigue  duties  were  constant 
and  heavy.  We  continued  in  this  camp  until  August  26th,  when 
we  moved  to  a  new  one,  near  Fort  Barnard,  where  the  same  heavy 
duties  were  exacted  of  us,  and  where  we  remained  until  we  started 
on  the  Maryland  campaign,  on  September  6th. 

The  exigencies  of  the  general  Government  were  great  at  this 
time.  This  is  shown  by  the  official  records  of  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion.  We  find  therein  that  on  August  i2th  the  President 
dispatched  Governor  Curtin  as  follows: 


It  is  very  important  for  some  regiments  to  arrive  here  at  once.     What 
lack  you    from    us?     What   can    we    do   to   expedite    matters?      Answer. 

A.  LINCOLN. 


To  this  dispatch  Governor  Curtin  replied  the  same  day,  as 
follows : 


Three  regiments  will  be  organized  this  morning,  and  leave  as  soon  as 
transportation  is  ready.  We  have  13,000  men  here,  and  will  organize 
as  rapidly  as  equipments  and  transportation  can  be  provided.  The  regi 
ments  from  Lancaster  can  go,  and  expect  to  hear  from  Philadelphia  that 
same  are  ready  there. 

A.  G.  CURTIN,  Governor. 


225 

On  August  1 8th,  the  second  day  after  our  regiment  left  Har- 
risburg,  these  same  official  records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
show  that  General  Halleck  telegraphed  Brigadier-General 
Ketchum,  stationed  at  Harrisburg,  as  follows : 

Confer  with  Governor  Curtin,  and  urge  upon  him  the  importance 
of  pushing  forward  troops  without  a  moment's  delay.  The  enemy 
is  accumulating  troops  more  rapidly  than  we  are,  and  reinforcements 
must  be  sent  us  with  all  possible  haste. 

H.  W.  HALLECK,  General-in-Chief. 

These  times  of  exigency  were  accompanied  and  succeeded  by 
days  of  gloom  at  Washington,  which  the  resume  of  events  we  now 
give  will  show,  to  wit:  The  forces  of  General  Banks,  McDowell 
and  Fremont  were  consolidated  in  the  month  of  July  and  made 
one  command,  known  as  the  Army  of  Virginia,  under  the  control 
of  General  Pope.  During  the  same  month  Stonewall  Jackson's 
division  was  detached  from  General  Lee,  and  on  August  Qth  met 
and  defeated  at  Cedar  Mountain  the  part  of  said  Army  of  Vir 
ginia,  subsequently  denominated  the  Twelfth  Army  Corps,  of 
which  our  regiment  formed  a  part.  On  August  I3th,  General 
Longstreet's  division  was  also  detached  from  General  Lee's  army, 
and  joined  Stonewall  Jackson  on  August  I5th.  On  August  i6th 
Harrison's  Landing,  on  the  James  river,  was  evacuated  by  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  said  army  was  transferred  to 
Acquia  Creek  Landing  and  Alexandria.  Previous  to  this,  troops 
of  General  Burnside's  command  in  North  Carolina  and  seven 
regiments  from  General  Hunter's  command  in  South  Carolina 
that  had  been  brought  to  Fortress  Monroe  and  Newport  News 
were  also  transferred  to  Acquia  Creek  Landing,  and  about  the 
same  time  a  division  commanded  by  General  Cox,  that  had  been 
operating  in  western  Virginia,  was  brought  to  Washington. 
These  troops,  or  the  larger  part  of  them,  were  at  once  sent  to  the 
relief  of  the  Army  of  Virginia  that  was  being  confronted  on  the 
Rappahannock  river  by  General  Lee's  Confederate  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia.  General  Pope  says  his  Army  of  Virginia 
battled  with  the  enemy  almost  continuously  from  August  i8th 
to  August  26th.  On  August  27th  the  line  of  the  Rappahannock 
river  was  abandoned,  and  the  Army  of  Virginia  moved  to  Gaines 
ville,  and  that  evening  there  was  a  hard  fight  at  Kettle  Run, 
15 


226 

between  Generals  Hooker  and  Ewell.  On  August  28th,  29th  and 
3<Dth,  there  was  fighting  all  along  the  line  at  Groveton,  and  General 
Pope  had  to  fall  back  to  Centreville.  Then  General  Lee  sent 
Stonewall  Jackson  to  the  Little  River  turnpike,  to  turn  the  right 
flank  of  the  Federal  army,  and  this  brought  on  the  battle  of  Chan- 
tilly,  where  Generals  Kearney  and  Stevens  were  killed,  and  caused 
that  army  to  retire  to  the  defences  of  Washington. 

This  succession  of  disasters  was  the  cause  of  the  gloom  at 
Washington,  to  which  we  have  previously  referred.  The  situation 
existing  at  the  time  the  army  was  retiring  to  the  defences  at 
Washington  is  best  given  by  General  McClellan,  when  he  took 
command  of  it  on  September  2d,  in  language  as  follows : 

"  The  President  and  General  Halleck  came  to  my  house,  when  the 
President  informed  me  that  Colonel  Kelton  had  returned  from  the 
front;  that  our  affairs  were  in  bad  condition;  that  the  army  was  in  full 
retreat  upon  the  defences  of  Washington,  the  roads  filled  with  stragglers, 
etc.  He  instructed  me  to  take  steps  at  once  to  stop  and  collect  the 
stragglers ;  to  place  the  works  in  a  proper  state  of  defence,  and  to  go 
out  to  meet  and  take  command  of  the  army  when  it  approached  the 
vicinity  of  the  works,  then  to  place  the  troops  in  the  best  condition,  com 
mitting  everything  to  my  hands." 

The  Confederate  army,  or  Arm}-  of  Northern  Virginia,  so 
called,  was  overjoyed  with  its  many  successes,  so  recently 
achieved,  and  its  commander  decided  to  move  it  towards  the 
upper  Potomac,  but  on  arriving  at  Leesburg  he  found  the  Federals 
that  had  been  at  Winchester  and  subsequently  at  Martinsburg 
had  withdrawn  to  Harper's  Ferry.  He  then  made  up  his  mind 
to  enter  the  state  of  Maryland  with  his  army,  to  relieve  her  people 
from  the  thraldom  in  which  the  South  supposed  they  were  held 
by  the  North,  and  to  secure  supplies  if  not  recruits.  General 
Walker,  in  his  article  in  the  Century  Magazine  in  the  year  1886, 
gives  the  further  designs  of  General  Lee  on  going  into  Maryland 
to  be  the  destruction  of  the  aqueduct  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio 
Canal,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Monocacy,  the  capture  of  Harper's 
Ferry,  a  few  days'  rest  at  Hagerstown,  supplying  the  army  with 
shoes  and  clothing  there,  the  destruction  of  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  Railroad,  a  march  to  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
destruction  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  bridge  over  the  Susque- 
hanna  river  five  miles  west  of  that  place ;  and  that  General  Lee 


227 

then  said  to  him  that,  with  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  .in 
their  possession  and  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  broken,  the  Great 
Lakes  would  be  the  only  route  left  to  the  West,  and  he  could  then 
turn  his  attention  to  Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and  Washington. 
But  part  only  of  this  programme  was  carried  out,  which  subse 
quent  events  show. 

General  Lee  crossed  the  Potomac  river  into  Maryland  at 
White's  Ford  on  September  5th,  with  Stonewall  Jackson's  division 
in  the  lead.  It  is  reported  that  when  in  the  middle  of  the  river 
he  arose  in  his  saddle,  took  off  his  hat,  and  the  army  joined  in 
singing  "  Maryland,"  which  at  that  time  was  the  favorite  song 
of  the  South.  He  moved  to  and  occupied  Frederick  City  with  his 
army  on  September  6th,  where  he  issued  his  well-known  address, 
that  had  the  opposite  effect  from  what  was  intended.  It  did  not 
arouse  Marylanders  and  brought  but  few  recrtiits  to  the  Confed 
erate  army.  This  we  learned  when  we  reached  the  city  one  week 
later. 

When  it  was  known  that  the  Confederate  army  had  entered 
Maryland,  the  Federal  army,  or  Army  of  the  Potomac,  also  moved 
into  that  state,  and  on  the  evening  of  September  6th  our  regiment 
was  assigned  and  ordered  to  report  to  the  Twelfth  Army  Corps, 
then  at  Rockville,  Maryland.  Tents  were  at  once  struck,  haver 
sacks  packed  with  what  few  rations  we  had  on  hand,  and  we 
moved  rapidly  towards  Georgetown,  where  we  crossed  the  Poto 
mac  and  took  a  road  leading  to  Rockville.  This  place  we  reached 
next  morning.  We  reported  to  General  A.  S.  Williams,  then  tempo 
rarily  in  command  of  said  corps,  and  were  assigned  to  the  first 
brigade  of  the  first  division  of  the  same.  The  division  at  that  time 
was  in  command  of  General  George  H.  Gordon,  of  Massachu 
setts,  and  the  brigade  in  command  of  General  S.  W.  Crawford,  of 
Pennsylvania,  but  subsequently  Colonel  Joseph  F.  Knipe,  of  the 
46th  Pennsylvania  Regiment.  The  brigade,  after  our  assignment 
to  it,  was  composed  of  the  loth  Maine,  5th  Connecticut,  28th  New 
York,  and  46th,  I24th,  I25th  and  I28th  Regiments  of  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers. 

General  McClellan  moved  army  headquarters  to  Rockville  on 
September  7th,  and,  not  knowing  the  designs  of  the  enemy,  on 
going  into  Maryland,  he  resolved  to  move  forward  cautiously,  so 
as  to  cover  both  Washington  and  Baltimore,  and  also  keep  the 
troops  well  in  hand,  to  be  able  to  concentrate  and  follow  in  case 


228 

Pennsylvania  was  invaded.  He  divided  the  army  into  three  col 
umns,  a  right  wing  consisting  of  the  First  and  Ninth  Corps,  in 
command  of  General  Burnside,  a  centre  consisting  of  the  Second 
and  Twelfth  Corps,  in  command  of  General  Sumner,  and  a  left 
wing  consisting  of  the  Sixth  Corps  and  Couch's  division  of  the 
Fourth  Corps,  in  command  of  General  Franklin.  In  this  order 
the  army  moved  from  Rockville,  the  initiative  being  taken  by  the 
right  wing.  Sykes'  division  of  Regulars,  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  and 
Morrell's  division  of  the  same  corps,  joined  the  army  later  on.  The 
centre  column,  to  which  our  regiment  was  attached,  moved  from 
Rockville  on  September  9th,  and  at  this  time  the  roads  were  so 
blocked  with  artillery  wagons  and  the  movement  of  troops  that 
our  supply  train  could  not  reach  us,  and  we  were  obliged  to  live 
from  that  time  until  September  ipth  on  green  corn  and  green 
apples  and  what  we  could  beg  or  buy.  The  first  day's  march 
brought  us  to  Middle  Brook,  the  second  day  to  Damascus,  and 
the  third  day  to  Ijamsville. 

We  crossed  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  at  this  place  on 
the  morning  of  September  I3th  and  moved  rapidly  towards  Fred 
erick  City.  When  we  reached  the  Monocacy  creek  cannonading 
was  heard,  but  when  we  crossed  the  creek  and  came  to  the  city  we 
learned  the  cannonading  was  caused  by  a  skirmish  between  the 
rear-guard  of  the  enemy  and  our  cavalry  advance,  in  the  Catoctin 
hills ;  also  that  the  enemy  had  left  the  city  the  preceding  evening. 
We  were  received  kindly  by  the  citizens  of  the  place,  who  soon 
showed  us  they  were  true  to  the  Federal  cause.  They  could  not, 
however,  supply  our  wants,  for  the  reason  that  they  had  been 
stripped  of  provisions  by  the  Confederate  army.  At  this  place, 
in  the  camp  of  the  27th  Indiana  Regiment,  attached  to  the  second 
brigade  of  the  first  division  of  our  Twelfth  Corps,  was  found  a 
copy  of  General  Lee's  lost  order,  that  gave  General  McClellan  full 
information  of  the  intentions  of  the  enemy  and  of  the  proposed 
capture  of  Harper's  Ferry,  and  on  receiving  this  information  he 
threw  forward  the  right  wing  of  the  army  to  the  Middletown 
Valley  that  afternoon,  and  prepared  to  follow  with  the  balance  of 
the  army  the  next  morning. 

On  the  morning  of  September  I4th  General  Cox's  Kanawha 
division,  temporarily  attached  to  the  Ninth  Corps,  moved  from 
the  borough  of  Middletown  to  the  support  of  General  Pleasanton's 
cavalry  division,  then  at  the  foot  of  South  Mountain.  It  reached 


229 

there  at  nine  o'clock,  and  at  once  commenced  to  ascend  the  moun 
tain.  This  division  of  General  Cox  was  composed  entirely  of 
Ohio  regiments,  and  had  among  its  members  several  men  who,  in 
after  years,  became  prominent  in  public  life.  One  regiment  alone 
(the  23d  Ohio)  had  on  its  rolls  the  names  of  Rutherford  B.  Hayes 
and  William  McKinley,  each  of  whom  was  then  present  and  subse 
quently  became  President  of  the  United  States.  In  ascending  the 
mountain  the  division  moved  by  the  left  of  the  road  known  as 
the  Old  Sharpsburg  or  Braddock  road,  and  encountered  the  Con 
federate  division  of  D.  H.  Hill  at  Fox's  Gap,  and  brought  on  the 
battle  of  South  Mountain,  in  which  other  troops  took  a  part. 

The  Twelfth  Corps  was  ordered  to  move  from  Frederick  City 
at  nine  o'clock  that  morning,  and  it,  or  part  of  it,  at  least,  did 
move  at  that  time,  but  was  halted  for  two  hours  in  the  streets 
of  the  town  to  allow  other  commands  to  pass,  and  when  we 
moved  again  it  was  by  the  Shookstown  road  to  the  Catoctin  hills, 
among  which  we  marched  to  screen  ourselves  from  the  enemy's 
view.  Towards  evening  we  came  to  a  point  where  we  could  hear 
the  roar  of  cannon  and  discharges  of  musketry,  and  notice  that 
a  battle  was  on.  We  were  then  ordered  to  move  more  rapidly,  so 
as  to  reach  the  scene  of  action  if  possible.  At  dusk  we  crossed 
the  Catoctin  creek,  that  flows  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and 
soon  thereafter  passed  ambulances  full  of  wounded  men.  Later 
on  we  filed  to  the  left  to  allow  an  ambulance  to  pass  that  contained 
the  remains  of  General  Reno,  who  was  killed  that  evening.  We 
continued  this  march  until  three  o'clock  of  the  morning  of  Sep 
tember  1 5th,  when  we  halted  in  a  field  near  the  village  of  Bolivar, 
where  the  old  Hagerstown  road  diverges  to  the  right  and  the 
old  Sharpsburg  or  Braddock  road  to  the  left.  At  break  of  day 
discovery  was  made  that  the  enemy  had  fled  during  the  night  and 
left  his  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field. 

This  morning  General  Mansfield  took  command  of  the  Twelfth 
Corps,  and  all  were  pleased  with  his  fatherly  appearance  and  the 
interest  he  took  in  us.  General  Williams  now  took  charge  of  our 
division,  which  up  to  this  date  had  been  commanded  by  General 
Gordon.  We  moved  at  ten  A.  M.  on  the  Hagerstown  road,  past 
trees  and  ground  torn  and  ploughed  by  the  battle  of  the  preceding 
day.  Soon  thereafter  we  received  the  news  of  the  surrender  of 
Harper's  Ferry  by  General  Miles,  and  later  on  we  met  a  flag  of 
truce  accompanied  by  a  guard  of  Confederates  in  search  of  the 


230 

body  of  General  Garland,  of  North  Carolina,  who  was  killed  the 
day  before.  We  reached  Boonesboro  at  four  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  and  learned  our  cavalry  had  a  skirmish  there  in  the  morning. 
Here  we  left  the  Hagerstown  road,  and,  moving  to  the  left,  halted 
in  a  field  near  the  town  of  Keedysville,  on  the  heels  of  the  enemy, 
that  had  taken  position  on  the  heights  beyond  the  Antietam  creek ; 
and  as  our  army  approached  the  creek  it  was  greeted  by  a  heavy 
artillery  fire  from  its  western  bank,  to  which  Tidball's  and  Pettit's 
batteries  of  General  Pleasanton's  command  replied. 

On  examination  of  the  position  taken,  as  aforesaid,  General 
McClellan  decided  it  was  too  late  to  make  an  attack  that  evening. 
On  the  morning  of  September  i6th,  he  found  the  enemy  still  in 
position  for  battle,  west  of  the  Antietam  creek,  though  the  line 
had  been  shortened  and  changed  during  the  preceding  night. 
The  forenoon,  he  says,  was  spent  "  in  reconnoitring  the  new 
position  taken  by  the  enemy,  examining  the  grounds,  finding 
fords,  clearing  the  approaches,  and  hurrying  up  the  ammunition 
and  supply  trains,  which  had  been  delayed  by  the  rapid  marches 
of  the  troops  over  the  few  practicable  approaches  from  Frederick." 

He  found  out,  through  the  reconnoissances  he  made,  that  the 
centre  of  the  Confederate  line  opposed  to  him  was  along  private 
roads  and  through  a  succession  of  fields  extending  towards  the 
Antietam  creek ;  that  the  left  was  at  a  crossroads  on  the  Hagers 
town  turnpike,  beyond  the  house  of  David  R.  Miller,  with  a  pro 
tection  of  cavalry  reaching  to  the  Potomac  at  one  of  its  sharp 
bends  in  this  vicinity,  and  its  right  rested  on  the  Snavely  farm 
south  of  Sharpsburg,  and  that  the  distance  from  left  to  right 
was  about  three  and  one-half  miles.  He  found  out  also  that  the 
Antietam  creek  near  where  the  army  was  located  was  crossed  by 
four  stone  bridges,  the  first  or  upper  one  on  the  road  leading  from 
Keedysville  to  Williamsport,  the  second  one  two  and  one-half  miles 
below,  on  the  Keedysville  and  Sharpsburg  turnpike,  the  third  one 
mile  below  the  second,  on  the  road  leading  to  Rohrersville,  known 
now  as  the  Burnside  bridge,  and  the  fourth  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Antietam  creek,  three  miles  below  the  third,  on  the  Harper's  Ferry 
road  and  he  made  the  discovery  that  bridge  number  two  was 
near  his  line  and  had  to  be  defended  by  him,  and  that  bridge  num 
ber  three  was  strongly  defended  by  the  enemy. 

The  Confederate   line  was  admirably   selected   for  defensive 


231 

purposes,  and  was  partly  in  the  shape  of  a  curve.  The  steep 
banks  of  the  Antietam  creek  and  the  sharp  bends  of  the  Potomac 
river  afforded  protection  for  the  front  and  flanks  of  the  army, 
whilst  strips  of  woods  and  irregularities  in  the  ground  within  the 
line  concealed  it  from  view.  The  Confederate  forces  were  so 
arranged  as  to  cover  the  Shepherdstown  ford  into  Virginia  and 
the  town  of  Sharpsburg,  where  General  Lee  established  his  head 
quarters.  In  this  strong  position  that  he  selected  for  his  army 
he  decided  to  fight  the  battle  that  events  had  forced  on  him,  and 
which  it  was  said  he  could  not  avoid  without  losing  his  prestige. 

A  further  brief  description  of  the  ground  where  the  left  and 
centre  of  the  Confederate  army  rested,  and  where  the  hard  fight 
ing  took  place  the  next  morning,  in  which  our  regiment  partici 
pated,  is  necessary  to  a  proper  understanding  of  the  battle  on  this 
part  of  the  field. 

To  the  northwest  front  of  a  belt  of  timber  known  as  the  east 
woods,  since  cut  down,  was  the  house  and  orchard  of  David  R. 
Miller.  The  Hagerstown  turnpike,  extending  from  Hagerstown 
to  Sharpsburg,  runs  close  to  said  house,  and  in  a  field  some  dis 
tance  in  front  of  the  house  there  were  then  straw  stacks.  In  the 
rear  of  the  house  there  was  at  that  time  a  small  cornfield,  and 
further  back,  with  intervening  ground  full  of  irregularities,  such 
as  gullies,  depressions  and  rocks,  there  was  a  woods  known  as 
Sam  Poffenberger's  woods.  To  the  right  of  the  irregular  ground, 
looking  towards  the  Miller  house,  was  the  north  woods,  near 
where  the  left  of  the  Confederate  line  rested.  To  the  left  and 
south  of  the  house  of  David  R.  Miller  was  a  large  cornfield  that 
reached  from  the  east  woods  to  the  Hagerstown  turnpike;  adjoin 
ing  it  on  the  left  and  south  was  a  smaller  field  that  was  harrowed, 
and  which  also  extended  from  the  east  woods  to  the  Hagerstown 
turnpike,  and  adjoining  the  harrowed  field  on  the  left  and  south 
was  a  field  that  had  been  in  clover,  but  was  then  partly  ploughed, 
and  it,  too,  extended  to  the  Hagerstown  turnpike.  The  turnpike 
runs  in  front  of  these  three  fields,  and  beyond  it,  where  we  now 
stand,  there  was  another  belt  of  timber,  since  cut  down,  known 
as  the  west  woods.  Towards  the  southeastern  edge  of  the  west 
woods,  there  stood  and  still  stands,  the  historic  Dunker  church, 
that  was  whitewashed,  and  first  taken  to  be  a  schoolhouse.  To  the 
right  of  the  west  woods  in  the  direction  of  the  Nicodemus  farm, 
and  near  where  the  straw  stacks,  as  aforesaid,  were  located,  there 


232 

was  a  small  woods  to  which  no  name  was  given.  Through  the 
east  woods  and  skirting  the  southeastern  edge  of  the  harrowed 
field  and  the  whole  of  the  clover  field  that  was  partly  ploughed 
ran  the  Smoketown  road,  that  terminated  at  the  Hagerstown  turn 
pike  opposite  the  Bunker  church.  South  of  said  road,  after  it  left 
the  east  woods,  was  the  Mumma  farm,  and  adjoining  it,  in  the 
direction  of  the  Antietam  creek,  was  the  Roulette  farm.  South 
east  of  the  Dunker  church,  towards  Sharpsburg,  is  the  lane,  now 
known  as  the  "  bloody  lane,"  that  leaves  the  Hagerstown  turnpike 
and  connects  with  other  lanes,  leading  to  different  farmhouses, 
and  some  distance  in  front  of  this  lane,  further  towards  Sharps- 
burg,  was  the  Piper  house  and  farm. 

The  ground  of  which  this  rough  description  is  given  was  des 
tined  on  the  morrow  to  be  the  scene  of  the  most  sanguinary  single 
day's  conflict  of  the  Civil  War. 

We  have  previously  stated  that  General  McClellan  had  spent 
the  forenoon  of  September  i6th  in  reconnoitering,  finding  fords 
and  hurrying  up  trains,  but  during  part  of  this  time  there  was  a 
duel,  that  lasted  forty  minutes,  between  the  Washington  artillery 
of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  and  the  Federal  batteries  east  of  the 
Antietam  creek,  in  which  Major  Arndt,  of  the  First  New  York 
artillery,  was  mortally  wounded. 

Having  by  noon  finished  his  reconnoissances,  and  ascertained 
the  position  of  the  Confederate  forces  opposed  to  him,  the  General 
planned  and  made  ready  for  battle.  He  decided  to  attack  the 
enemy's  left  with  the  corps  of  Hooker  and  Mansfield,  supported 
by  Sumner  and  Franklin,  whilst  General  Burnside's  corps  attacked 
his  right,  and  when  these  movements  were  successful  the  centre 
was  to  be  attacked,  with  other  troops  at  his  command.  Headquar 
ters  were  established  at  the  Pry  house,  east  of  the  Antietam  creek, 
and  at  two  o'clock  that  afternoon  Hooker  was  ordered  to  cross 
that  creek  at  the  upper  bridge  and  a  ford  nearby,  with  the  divi 
sions  of  Ricketts,  Meade  and  Doubleday,  and  attack,  and  endeavor 
to  turn  the  enemy's  left.  He  left  at  four  o'clock,  and,  cautiously 
feeling  his  way,  came  upon  the  enemy  in  the  east  woods  soon 
after  sunset,  and  a  sharp  engagement  between  Meade's  division 
of  Pennsylvania  Reserves  and  Hood's  Confederate  division,  aided 
by  two  brigades  of  Stonewall  Jackson's  command,  took  place,  that 
lasted  until  dark,  and  in  which  Colonel  McNeill,  of  the  Pennsvl- 


233 

vania  Bucktails,  was  killed.  When  firing  ceased,  both  sides  laid 
down  to  rest  near  each  other. 

About  the  same  time  orders  were  given  to  Hooker  to  cross  the 
Antietam  and  attack  the  enemy's  left,  General  Sumner  was  ordered 
to  have  the  corps  of  Mansfield  follow  Hooker  during  the  night, 
and  to  hold  his  own  corps  in  readiness  to  move  in  the  morning. 

At  ten  o'clock  that  night  our  regiment  received  orders  to  be 
ready  to  move  on  a  moment's  notice,  but  we  did  not  get  off  for  one 
and  one-half  hours  later,  and  when  we  did  move  we  followed  the 
lead  in  person  of  our  corps  commander.  We  were  ordered  not  to 
allow  canteens  to  rattle,  or  to  speak  above  a  whisper.  We  marched 
about  three  miles  in  a  circuitous  direction,  and  crossed  the 
Antietam  creek  at  the  same  ford  where  part  of  Hooker's  command 
crossed  in  the  afternoon.  After  midnight  we  halted  in  a  ploughed 
field  near  the  house  of  George  Line,  about  one  mile  in  rear  of  the 
east  woods,  where  Hooker  had  met  the  enemy.  Here  we  found 
a  hospital  had  been  established,  and  soon  after  halting  the  body 
of  Colonel  McNeill  was  borne  past  us  to  the  hospital,  and  at  this 
hospital  General  Mansfield  died  at  four  o'clock  the  following  after 
noon.  An  infantry  picket  line  was  in  our  immediate  front,  and 
beyond  it  there  was  a  vidette  line. 

With  the  first  gray  streaks  of  morning,  of  September  I7th, 
battle  in  the  east  woods  began  between  Hooker  and  Stonewall 
Jackson,  the  Pennsylvania  Reserves,  of  Meade's  division,  opening 
the  contest,  which  soon  became  general  along  the  whole  line.  To 
the  right  of  Meade  was  the  division  of  Doubleday,  partly  astride 
the  Hagerstown  turnpike,  and  on  Meade's  left  was  the  division  of 
Ricketts,  and  for  the  possession  of  the  east  woods  and  large  corn 
field  in  front  the  contest  was  fierce  and  obstinate. 

We  moved  to  the  front  at  early  dawn,  and  were  perhaps  one 
hour  in  reaching  the  field  of  action,  owing  to  numerous  halts  that 
were  made.  Our  movement  was  made  mainly  in  column  by  com 
pany  closed  en  masse,  and  appeared  to  me  to  be  in  the  shape  of  a 
letter  Z. 

Our  brigade  commander  says  his  brigade  was  on  the  right  of 
the  line  in  this  movement  to  the  front.  Stuart's  Confederate  light 
artillery  shelled  us  from  the  right,  and  to  our  left  we  could  see 
the  barn  on  the  Mumma  farm  on  fire.  When  we  came  to  Sam 
Poffenberger's  woods  we  met  wounded  men  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Reserves  going  to  the  rear.  Here  a  strong  request  for  assistance 


234 

came  to  our  corps  commander  from  Hooker,  and  here  our  regi 
ment  quickly  deployed,  in  reverse  order,  and  by  direction  of 
General  Crawford  moved  towards  the  stacks  on  the  farm  of  David 
R.  Miller,  then  back  again,  and  then  towards  the  east  woods,  wit 
nessing  many  sad  sights. 

Hooker  had  previously  cleared  the  large  cornfield  of  the 
enemy,  and  had  pushed  his  columns  on  the  right  across  the 
Hagerstown  turnpike,  towards  the  west  woods,  but  was  compelled 
to  give  way  before  superior  numbers,  whilst  Ricketts,  of  his  com 
mand,  met  a  similar  fate  on  the  left,  but  still  held  position  in  the 
edge  of  the  east  woods.  Stonewall  Jackson  had  received  assist 
ance  from  D.  H.  Hill's  and  Ewell's  divisions,  and  was  also  rein 
forced  by  Hood,  who  had  been  relieved  the  night  before  to  give 
his  men  an  opportunity  to  prepare  something  to  eat.  He  (Rick 
etts)  fought  hard  to  hold  possession  of  the  woods,  but  the  large 
cornfield  was  again  occupied  by  the  enemy. 

As  we  approached  the  woods,  troops  of  Duryea's  brigade  of 
Ricketts'  division  retired,  and  on  open  ground  near  the  woods  we 
received  a  volley  of  musketry  from  a  small  regiment  therein,  since 
ascertained  to  be  the  5th  Texas,  that  killed  one  of  our  men,  and  we 
are  thought  to  be  the  reinforcement  that  Captain  Ike  M.  Turner, 
of  that  regiment,  mentions  in  his  report  of  the  battle.  This  is 
also  believed  to  be  the  first  loss -sustained  by  the  first  division  of 
the  Twelfth  Corps.  The  regiment  still  moved  on,  under  fire,  then 
fell  back  momentarily,  and  then  again  moved  forward  until  it  got 
a  lodgment  some  distance  back  in  the  woods,  and  here  we  took 
position,  says  Colonel  Knipe,  of  the  46th  Pennsylvania  Regiment, 
subsequently  in  command  of  our  brigade.  He  also  says  the  orig 
inal  intention  was  to  have  the  I24th,  12 5th  and  I28th  Pennsyl 
vania  Regiments  of  our  brigade  to  first  move  to  the  front,  but 
this  plan  was  not  carried  out. 

At  this  time  we  think  Greene's  division  of  our  corps  were  mak 
ing  ready  to  move  through  the  woods,  and  Goodrich's  brigade  of 
said  division  was  detached  and  sent  to  the  right  to  the  assistance 
of  General  Patrick,  of  Hooker's  command.  About  the  same  time 
the  1 24th  Pennsylvania  Regiment  was  detached  and  sent  to  the 
right,  to  the  Hagerstown  turnpike,  past  the  house  of  David  R. 
Miller. 

When  the  corps  got  fairly  in  position,  battling,  which  had  been 


235 

severe,  now  became  terrific,  and  for  the  next  three  hours  a  rich 
harvest  of  death  was  reaped  on  the  right  of  the  Federal  line. 

The  several  regiments  of  our  brigade  moved  to  the  front  of 
the  east  woods  separately.  The  46th  Pennsylvania,  28th  New 
York  and  loth  Maine  led  the  way  and  were  followed  by  the  i25th 
and  1 28th  Pennsylvania.  The  brigade  commander  (Colonel 
Knipe)  says  the  three  leading  regiments  opened  fire  on  the  enemy 
at  the  cornfield,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  their  front. 
Our  regiment  moved  rapidly  to  their  support,  but  after  nearing 
the  positions  they  had  taken  we  were  halted,  and  the  I28th  Penn 
sylvania  immediately  filed  to  our  right  and  partly  through  our  line, 
and  occupied  ground  on  the  right  of  the  46th  Pennsylvania.  Here 
Major  Wanner,  of  that  regiment,  says  General  Mansfield  ordered 
deployment  to  be  made,  but  before  the  order  could  be  carried  into 
effect  their  colonel  was  killed  and  lieutenant-colonel  wounded,  and 
there  was  much  confusion  and  excitement,  and'  that  the  enemy 
was  concealed  in  the  cornfield,  sixty  or  seventy  yards  in  their 
front.  They  appeared  to  us  to  be  losing  heavily  from  a  foe  that 
was  under  cover,  and  the  recollection  of  our  men  is  that  at  this 
time  General  Mansfield  rode  forward  to  reconnoitre  and  was 
mortally  wounded  by  a  sharp-shooter.  This  was  about  seven  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  practically  at  the  commencement  of  the 
engagement  on  the  part  of  the  first  brigade  of  the  first  division  of 
the  Twelfth  Corps. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  east  woods  was  west  of  the  Smoke- 
town  road,  and  in  this  western  portion,  on  a  knoll,  then  wooded 
and  partly  rocky,  Colonel  Croasdale,  of  the  I28th  Pennsylvania 
Regiment,  was  killed,  and  in  front  of  this  knoll,  it  may  be  to  the 
right  or  left,  we  say  General  Mansfield  received  his  mortal  wound. 

Major  John  M.  Gould,  late  adjutant  of  the  loth  Maine  Regi 
ment,  placed  a  marker  east  of  the  Smoketown  road,  on  the  spot, 
he  says,  where  General  Mansfield  was  wounded,  and  the  State  of 
Connecticut,  in  the  year  1900,  erected  a  monument  on  the  eastern 
edge  of  said  road,  designating  practically  the  point  marked  by 
Major  Gould  as  the  place  where  the  wounding  occurred,  and  it  is 
one  hundred  and  forty  yards  or  more  to  the  left  rear  of  what  we 
thoroughly  believe  to  be  the  true  location.  His  account  of  the 
wounding  given  in  his  history  of  the  ist,  loth  and  2Qth  Maine 
Regiments  and  in  his  pamphlet  on  "  General  Mansfield  at  Antie- 


236 

tarn  "  differs  materially  from  ours  in  fixing  the  place  he  does 
where  the  wounding  occurred,  and  in  giving  the  loth  Maine  Regi 
ment  credit  for  first  assisting  the  General  after  he  was  wounded. 
We  say  that  very  soon  after  the  General  rode  to  the  front  to 
reconnoitre  he  came  back,  and  some  distance  from  our  line  it 
was  noticed  by  Captain  Gardner,  of  Company  "  K,"  of  our  regi 
ment,  that  there  was  something  wrong  with  him,  and  he  at  once 
ordered  Sergeant  John  Caho  and  Private  Samuel  Edmundson, 
of  his  company,  to  go  to  his  assistance,  and  as  they  did  so  Private 
E.  S.  Rudy,  of  Company  "  H,"  joined  them ;  also  two  other  men 
not  of  our  regiment.  They  saw  the  General  was  seriously 
wounded,  and  at  once  helped  him  from  his  horse,  then  reversed 
their  muskets,  placed  him  on  the  same  and  carried  him  to  a  tree  a 
short  distance  in  the  rear,  where  a  surgeon  appeared  and  where 
he  was  delivered  to  a  second  party,  believed  to  be  of  the  loth 
Maine  Regiment,  who  carried  him  still  further  to  the  rear  in  a 
blanket,  and  placed  him  in  an  ambulance  that  conveyed  him  to 
the  farmhouse  of  George  Line,  from  whence  we  started  to  the 
front  at  break  of  day.  This  statement  practically  corresponds  with 
one  made  to  me  by  Captain  T.  J.  Hamilton,  late  of  the  28th  Penn 
sylvania  Regiment,  when  on  this  field  in  October,  1894.  He  said 
at  the  time  of  the  occurrence  he  was  temporarily  detached  from 
his  regiment  and  witnessed  the  same.  Our  colonel's  report  of 
the  battle,  made  five  days  after  it  took  place,  when  all  facts  were 
fresh  in  memory,  states  that  our  men  carried  the  general  off 
the  field  on  muskets  until  a  blanket  was  procured,  whilst  the  report 
of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fillebrown,  of  the  loth  Maine  Regiment, 
does  not  mention  or  refer  to  so  important  a  matter  as  the  fatal 
wounding  of  our  corps  commander.  General  Joseph  F.  Knipe, 
when  on  the  field  with  me,  on  May  29th,  1897,  said,  without  hesi 
tation,  after  looking  at  the  spot  marked  by  Major  Gould,  that  it 
was  much  too  far  to  the  left  and  rear,  and  that  the  wounding 
occurred  in  front  of  the  leading  regiments  of  the  brigade.  I  was 
again  on  the  field  on  May  i6th,  1901,  with  Captain  E.  L.  Witman, 
who  was  an  aide  on  the  staff  of  General  Crawford,  but  detailed  for 
duty  with  General  Mansfield  on  the  day  of  the  battle.  He  went 
over  the  ground,  examined  different  locations,  pointed  out  the 
knoll  on  which  Colonel  Croasdale,  of  the  I28th  Regiment,  was 
killed,  and  then  said  that  he  saw  Croasdale  killed,  and  was  in  the 
act  of  delivering  a  message  from  Mansfield  to  Crawford,  when 


237 

the  former  was  wounded ;  that  on  his  immediate  return  he  found 
men  with  new  uniforms  carrying  the  general  to  the  rear  on  mus 
kets  ;  that  he  at  once  reported  the  wounding  to  Crawford,  who 
ordered  him  to  get  the  General  to  a  safe  place,  and  on  hurrying 
back  he  found  another  party  of  men  carrying  him  still  further  to 
the  rear  in  a  blanket  and  placing  him  in  an  ambulance  on  the 
Smoketown  road ;  that  it  was  west  of  said  road,  near  the  mound 
where  Colonel  Croasdale  had  been  killed,  that  he  saw  the  first 
party  assisting  the  General  to  the  rear  and  that  he  was  certain 
the  wounding  occurred  further  to  the  front,  and  nearer  the  large 
cornfield  than  the  spot  marked  by  Major  Gould.  The  location  we 
fix  is  practically  the  same  that  Daniel  Mumma,  proprietor  of  a 
livery  stable  in  Sharpsburg,  pointed  out  to  me  on  September  i8th, 
1888,  and  said  it  was  shown  him  three  days  after  the  battle  by  the 
surgeon  who  ministered  to  the  General  when  he  was  wounded. 

After  the  wounding  of  General  Mansfield  our  regiment  moved 
to  the  rear  and  halted  for  a  time,  then  quickly  obliqued  to  the  left 
front  of  the  woods  on  the  edge  of  the  harrowed  field  south  of  the 
large  cornfield,  where  we  found  a  few  of  the  Qoth  Pennsylvania 
Regiment,  and  Colonel  A.  J.  Sellers,  of  that  regiment,  says  they 
were  the  last  of  Hooker's  men  to  leave  the  east  woods.  In  their 
front  was  an  iron  gun  battery,  supposed  to  be  Edgel's  First  New 
Hampshire  Battery,  that  was  exchanging  shots  with  a  Confederate 
battery  on  the  limestone  ledge  near  the  Bunker  church,  where  the 
Maryland  monument  now  stands.  At  this  time  Greene's  division 
of  our  corps  had  driven  the  Confederates  from  the  woods,  and 
other  troops  of  the  corps  had  cleared  the  cornfield  of  the  enemy. 
Here  our  regiment,  that  had  been  in  reverse  order,  righted  itself, 
and  moved  quickly  through  the  harrowed  field  and  field  partly 
ploughed,  to  the  Smoketown  road,  passing  many  dead  and 
wounded  and  capturing  prisoners  who  had  sought  refuge  behind 
rocky  knolls.  As  we  approached  the  road  Monroe's  First  Rhode 
Island  Battery  came  up  and,  taking  position  on  rising  ground  in 
our  front,  silenced  the  Confederate  battery  near  the  church  and 
paid  attention  to  other  batteries  further  distant.  This  battery  we 
were  ordered  to  support,  and  exceedingly  severe  was  the  enemy's 
fire  at  this  point,  especially  at  mounted  officers.  To  protect  our 
selves,  we  lay  on  our  faces,  and  persuaded  our  colonel  and  lieu 
tenant-colonel  to  dismount,  and  scarcely  had  the  latter  done  so 
when  he  was  disabled  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell.  General  Hooker 


238 

now  rode  up  to  us  and  asked  if  any  troops  were  in  the  west 
woods  in  our  front,  and  was  told  none  but  Confederates.  Whilst 
he  and  our  colonel  were  talking,  his  horse  was  hit  by  a  ball,  to 
which  his  attention  was  called,  and  he  quickly  rode  away.  He 
may  then  have  been  wounded  himself,  for  in  his  report  of  the 
battle  he  says  he  was  not  aware  he  had  been  wounded,  and  had  to 
be  lifted  from  his  saddle  through  weakness  caused  by  loss  of 
blood.  This  was  after  he  rode  to  the  rear  and  before  General 
Sumner  arrived  on  the  field. 

When  the  fire  of  the  battery  we  supported  slackened,  an  officer, 
to  us  unknown,  ordered  the  regiment  into  the  west  woods,  and  as 
we  moved  forward  some  Confederate  troops  retired  and  sought 
refuge  in  hollowed  ground  to  our  right.  We  were  the  first  Fed 
eral  regiment  to  enter  those  woods.  At  their  eastern  edge  we 
halted,  and  Company  "  B  "  was  detached  and  ordered  to  the 
church  to  see  if  a  foe  was  concealed  there,  but  found  only  wounded 
Confederates.  Company  "  G  "  was  also  detached  and  thrown  for 
ward  as  a  line  of  skirmishers.  The  other  companies  of  the  regi 
ment  followed  the  skirmishers  to  an  elevation  of  ground  near  an 
outcropping  of  rocks.  This  was  our  advance  position  in  the  woods 
as  a  regiment,  and  is  close  to  a  straight  line  from  the  right  of  the 
point  where  our  monument  is  located.  The  skirmishers  were 
again  sent  forward  and  penetrated  the  woods  without  serious 
resistance,  until  they  reached  their  northwestern  edge,  near  where 
straw  stacks  stood  and  where  a  captured  Confederate  said  a  hos 
pital  had  been  established.  Here  the  skirmish  line  was  fired  upon 
and  one  man  was  wounded.  This  line  is  the  body  of  troops  Gen 
eral  Early  speaks  of  in  his  report  of  the  battle,  when  he  says  "  a 
body  of  the  enemy,  perhaps  only  skirmishers,  had  gotten  into  the 
woods  to  the  left  and  was  firing  upon  our  men."  Our  skirmish 
line  then  retired  to  the  main  portion  of  the  regiment,  that  had 
fallen  back  from  the  position  previously  taken,  and  the  company 
at  the  church  rejoined  us.  The  enemy  that  had  fired  on  the  skir 
mishers  followed  them  in  force,  and  on  nearing  the  position  of  the 
regiment  made  a  strong  attack  on  it,  but  this  attack,  as  well  as 
three  other  separate  assaults,  were  successfully  resisted,  but  with 
heavy  loss  to  ourselves.  We  had  previously  made  the  discovery 
that  we  were  distant  from  other  troops  of  our  corps,  and  entirely 
without  support  on  our  flanks,  and  assistance  was  called  for. 
Soon  thereafter  General  Sumner  rode  forward  and  took  in  the 


239 

situation  at  a  glance.  He  rode  rapidly  back,  and  then  General 
Gorman,  of  Sedgwick's  division,  reported  that  his  brigade  was 
coming  up  but  was  some  distance  back.  Shortly  afterwards  the 
34th  New  York  Regiment,  of  said  brigade,  came  up  on  the  double- 
quick,  and  taking  position  to  our  left  and  rear,  commenced  firing 
at  the  flanking  column  on  the  left ;  but  the  two  regiments  were  not 
sufficiently  strong  to  contend  long  with  the  heavy  force  hurled 
against  them,  and  were  obliged  to  retire  behind  the  batteries  sta 
tioned  in  the  field  in  the  rear  that  was  partly  ploughed,  after  a 
contest  that  lasted  from  twenty  minutes  to  one-half  hour,  the 
greater  portion  of  which  time  the  I25th  Pennsylvania  Regiment 
was  alone.  The  enemy  followed  our  retreat,  delivering  a  wither 
ing  fire  at  both  regiments,  and  at  other  troops  of  Sedgwick's  divi 
sion  that  were  then  arriving  on  the  field,  until  halted  by  the  bat 
teries.  This  force  of  the  enemy,  we  are  informed,  consisted  of 
Kershaw's  brigade,  supported  by  Walker's  division  and  Early's 
brigade.  It  was  driven  back  principally  by  the  fire  of  the  batteries, 
and  then  Sedgwick's  division  advanced,  but  when  it  reached  the 
woods  they  were  again  a  sheet  of  flame.  The  enemy  had  been 
reinforced  and  caused  Sedgwick  to  give  way,  though  not  with 
out  heavy  loss  to  themselves  as  well  as  to  Sedgwick.  The  advance 
made  by  the  enemy  extended  on  our  right  to  the  point  where  the 
second  brigade  of  our  division  had  been  battling,  and  General 
Crawford  was  wounded  in  the  thigh  in  rallying  some  troops  here. 
On  the  left  it  reached  General  Greene's  division  of  our  corps, 
moving  from  the  Mumma  farm,  but  was  repelled  by  it,  and  it  sub 
sequently  pushed  forward  to  the  Dunker  church  and  got  position 
in  the  woods  there,  which  it  held  until  near  the  time  Franklin's 
corps  came  on  the  field. 

French  and  Richardson,  of  Sumner's  corps,  reached  the  field 
after  Sedgwick,  and  bearing  to  the  left  of  General  Greene,  of  our 
corps,  engaged  D.  H.  Hill  in  the  sanguinary  struggle  on  the  Rou 
lette  farm  and  at  the  bloody  lane,  and  in  which  assistance  was 
rendered  by  General  Franklin,  who  came  up  from  Pleasant  Valley 
about  noon.  This  struggle  lasted  for  three  and  one-half  hours. 
Subsequently  Hill  was  reinforced  by  R.  H.  Anderson's  division, 
and  against  these  two  forces  French  and  Richardson  fought  at  the 
Piper  house,  and  near  here  General  Richardson  was  mortally 
wounded,  also  the  Confederate  General,  G.  B.  Anderson. 

Soon  after  Franklin  arrived,  Captain  Monroe,  whose  battery 


240 

we  supported  before  we  entered  the  west  woods,  rode  up  to  our 
colonel  and  appealed  to  us  to  save  his  guns,  that  were  then  on 
our  left  front,  and  said  that  his  horses  had  been  shot  and  the  guns 
were  about  to  be  captured.  To  the  command  forward  we  moved 
on  the  double-quick,  drove  the  enemy  back,  rescued  the  guns,  and 
received  the  thanks  not  only  of  the  commander  of  the  battery,  but 
also  of  General  Franklin. 

The  contest  during  the  balance  of  the  day  was  transferred 
further  to  the  centre  and  to  the  left,  though  a  heavy  artillery  fire 
was  kept  up  on  the  right,  that  lasted  until  after  dark.  I  shall 
simply  give  a  general  description  of  the  same,  but  others  will  no 
doubt  give  fuller  and  more  minute  descriptions. 

North  of  the  Dunker  church  Stuart  attempted  a  flank  move 
ment  on  the  Federal  line,  but  was  driven  back  by  an  artillery  fire 
from  thirty  batteries  directed  upon  him  by  Doubleday.  About 
the  same  time  Pleasanton  crossed  the  Antietam  creek  at  bridge 
number  two,  with  a  force  of  cavalry  and  light  artillery,  and  formed 
a  flank  support  for  Richardson  at  the  Piper  house,  and  later  he 
repelled  a  threatened  attack  on  Hancock,  who  took  command  of 
Richardson's  division  after  he  was  mortally  wounded. 

Soon  after  Pleasanton  crossed  the  creek  a  battalion  of  regulars 
followed  and  moved  to  his  assistance.  This  movement  was  also 
followed  by  four  other  battalions,  that  made  their  way  up  the  hill 
where  the  National  Cemetery  is  now  located,  and  drove  off  sharp 
shooters,  and  rendered  valuable  service  otherwise. 

The  charge  on  the  left,  that  carried  Antietam  bridge  number 
three,  was  made  by  Burnside  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and 
at  great  cost  of  life.  Other  troops  followed  the  ones  that  charged 
the  bridge,  and  the  outskirts  of  Sharpsburg  were  reached,  but 
the  strong  division  of  A.  P.  Hill  that  had  come  up  from  Harper's 
Ferry  was  now  encountered,  and  a  bitter  contest  followed,  in 
which  General  Rodman  and  other  valuable  officers  were  killed. 
Some  ground  was  lost  here,  but  it  was  subsequently  recovered  and 
the  Federal  line  restored. 

Night  came  on  soon  afterwards,  and  Antietam,  generally 
admitted  to  be  the  bloodiest  and  most  severe  of  all  the  single  day's 
battles  of  the  Civil  War,  was  over. 

Both  armies  rested  where  they  fought,  and  the  contest  was  not 
renewed  the  next  day. 

The  following  night  the  Confederate  army  crossed  the  Poto- 


241 

mac  river  into  Virginia  at  the  Shepherdstown  ford,  and  left  behind 
them  their  unburied  dead  and  many  wounded.  They  had  been 
terribly  punished,  and  General  Longstreet  said  that  they  were  in 
no  condition  to  wait  long  for  a  renewal  of  the  attack  from 
McClellan. 

The  battle  can  be  properly  called  a  Federal  victory.  It  did 
much  towards  stimulating  the  recruiting  at  the  North,  and  Presi 
dent  Lincoln  followed  it  by  issuing  his  Emancipation  Proclama 
tion. 

From  23,000  to  30,000  men  went  down  in  that  one  day's  con 
test,  and  evidences  of  the  severity  of  the  engagement  were  many 
all  over  the  field.  On  the  right,  the  large  cornfield,  the  fields 
around  and  in  front  of  the  house  of  David  R.  Miller,  and  beyond 
the  Hagerstown  turnpike  in  the  direction  of  the  Nicodemus  farm, 
and  the  small  strip  of  woods  northwest  of  the  west  woods,  were 
covered  with  the  dead.  In  the  west  woods,  the  field  partly 
ploughed,  the  harrowed  field,  and  everywhere  around  the  Bunker 
church,  the  dead  were  so  thickly  strewn  in  places  that  it  required 
care  to  step  without  treading  on  a  dead  body,  and  mingled  with 
them  were  many  dead  horses  and  broken  artillery  wagons.  The 
Mumma  farm,  the  Roulette  farm  and  the  Piper  farm  presented 
similar  scenes,  and  at  the  bloody  lane  the  dead  lay  three  and  four 
deep.  The  left  of  the  line  also  had  its  full  proportion  of  dead  and 
wounded. 

General  Hooker,  in  his  report  of  the  battle,  says  it  was  never 
his  fortune  to  witness  a  more  bloody,  dismal  battlefield.  William 
F.  Fox,  in  his  work  on  "Regimental  Losses  in  the  Civil  War," 
says  :  "  Antietam  was  the  bloodiest  battle.  More  men  were  killed 
in  one  day  than  any  other  one  day  of  the  war,"  and  Richard  Meade 
Bache,  in  his  life  of  General  Meade,  says  of  Antietam :  "  It  was  a 
terribly  bloody  day,  the  bloodiest  single  day  of  any  in  the  annals 
of  the  Civil  War."  General  Hood,  in  his  volume  styled  "  Advance 
and  Retreat,"  published  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  in  the  year  1880, 
says :  '  This  most  deadly  conflict  raged  till  our  last  round  of 
ammunition  was  expended.  The  ist  Texas  Regiment  lost  in  the 
cornfield  full  two-thirds  of  its  number,  and  whole  ranks  of  brave 
men,  whose  deeds  were  unrecorded  save  in  the  hearts  of  loved 
ones  at  home,  were  mowed  down  in  heaps,  to  the  right  and  left. 
Never  before  was  I  so  continuously  troubled  with  fear  that  my 
horse  would  further  injure  some  wounded  fellow-soldier,  lying 
16 


242 

helpless  on  the  ground  .  .  .  With  the  close  of  this  bloody 
day  ceased  the  hardest  fought  battle  of  the  war,"  and  General 
Longstreet,  in  his  book  styled  "  From  Manassas  to  Appomattox," 
says  "  the  field  lying  along  the  Antietam  and  including  in  its  scope 
the  little  town  of  Sharpsburg,  was  destined  to  pass  into  history  as 
the  scene  of  the  bloodiest  single  day's  fighting  of  the  war,  and  the 
1 7th  of  September  was  to  become  memorable  as  the  greatest 
carnage  in  the  campaign  between  the  North  and  the  South." 

Our  regimental  losses  were  sustained  principally  in  the  west 
woods,  and  in  the  field  in  the  rear  that  was  partly  ploughed,  and 
through  which  we  fell  back  when  we  were  obliged  to  retire  from 
the  woods.  Here  our  color-guard  went  down  and  our  colors  were 
rescued  by  different  comrades,  and  finally  carried  by  Captain 
Wallace,  of  the  color  company,  who  placed  them  in  a  decayed 
stump  in  the  rear  of  our  batteries,  and  around  them  we  rallied. 

We  had  54  men  either  killed  instantly  or  who  died  of  their 
wounds  soon  after  the  engagement,  91  seriously  wounded,  some 
of  whom  afterwards  died,  and  84  slightly  wounded,  and  these 
losses  were  all  sustained  in  one  month  and  one  day  after  the  regi 
ment  was  organized. 

In  reports  of  battle  we  were  complimented  specially  by  our 
division  commander,  General  Crawford,  and  generally  by  our 
corps  commander,  General  Williams,  for  our  conduct  on  the 
field,  but  we  only  claim  for  ourselves  that  we  strove  to  do  our 
duty,  and  not  that  we  rendered  superior  service. 

Our  numbers  have  become  less  than  they  were  forty-two  years 
ago.  Time  has  wrought  havoc  in  our  ranks.  Some  were  lost  in 
battle  after  Antietam,  and  others  were  carried  away  and  are 
still  carried  away  by  disease.  We  realize  that  we  are  on  the 
border  line  of  old  age,  and  after  ten  years  more  shall  have  passed 
away  but  few  of  us  will  be  left  to  tell  the  story  of  Antietam  on 
the  part  of  the  I25th  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  but  the  monument 
that  the  good  old  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  has  provided 
for  us,  and  which  we  dedicate  to-day,  will  remain  where  it  now 
stands,  to  teach  the  lesson  of  patriotism  to  future  generations,  and 
to  show  relatives  and  friends  where  we  fought  for  the  preservation 
of  the  Union  on  a  field  that  history  records  as  the  most  stubbornly 
contested  of  all  the  single-day  engagements  of  the  late  Civil  War. 

In  conclusion,  my  comrades  and  friends,  let  us  all  feel  that 
we  have  reason  to  thank  God  that  we  are  now  a  reunited  nation, 


243 

although  it  did  require  four  years  of  bloody  strife  to  bring  this 
about ;  and  let  us  all  hope  and  trust  that  never  again  will  there  be 
a  war  among  ourselves,  but  forever  hereafter  we  shall  have  but 
one  country  and  one  flag,  and  that  country  shall  be  our  common 
country,  the  United  States  of  America,  and  that  flag  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  of  our  native  land. 

Hon.  J.  D.  Hicks,  of  Altoona,  Pa.,  late  of  Company  "  K,"  made 
the  following  address : 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Friends :  I  cannot  refrain  on  this  historic  occasion 
from  quoting  the  language  of  poetry  and  say  in  honor  of  our  fallen  com 
rades  : 

How  sleep  the  brave  who  sink  to  rest, 
By  all  their  country's  wishes  blest, 
By   fairy  hands   their  knell   is   rung ; 
By  forms  unseen  their  dirge  is  sung. 
Here  Honor  comes  a  pilgrim  gray, 
To  deck  the  turf  that  wraps  their  clay. 

How  true  these  words  of  the  poet  are  of  our  dear  departed  dead.  This 
entire  nation  rises  to-day  and  is  of  one  accord  in  doing  honor  to  the 
brave  and  heroic  men  who  gave  their  lives  for  the  perpetuation  of  our 
union  and  the  preservation  and  glory  of  its  flag.  Around  this  church  on 
this  great  battlefield  there  clusters  and  lingers  in  the  minds  of  the 
survivors  the  never-to-be-forgotten  shock  and  turmoil  of  the  battle.  At 
the  peep  of  day,  ere  the  sun  had  cast  a  ray  over  the  towering  Blue  Ridge, 
Hooker's  men  opened  the  fight,  and  with  cheers  that  will  ring  down  the 
corridors  of  time  and  achieving  results  that  will  ever  shine  on  the  pages 
of  history,  they  stood  up  man  to  man  until  our  brothers  of  the  south 
with  shattered  ranks  were  compelled  to  give  way.  At  this  juncture  of 
the  fierce  contest,  shortly  after  the  sun  was  up  and  while  the  fog  yet 
hung  over  the  woods,  Mansfield's  men  were  deployed  from  close  column 
by  regiment  into  line  of  battle  to  actively  pursue  a  fleeing  foe.  The  men 
in  gray  soon  rallied  from  the  first  terrific,  overwhelming  and  deadly  on 
slaught  and  met  Mansfield's  brave  boys,  of  which  we  were  a  part,  with 
a  leaden  storm  that  cost  us  many  precious  lives,  and  that  bore  down 
many  comrades  with  ghastly  wounds ;  among  the  fatally  wounded  in  our 
immediate  front  was  our  gallant  veteran  general,  who  in  pointing  the 
way  to  victory  was  attesting  his  courage  and  love  of  country  by  showing 
us  the  enemy  as  they  lay  concealed  in  the  wood  and  cornfield,  within  his 
view  and  along  the  Smoketown  road.  Ordinarily  a  battle  would  lag  upon 
the  death  of  such  a  leader  as  General  Mansfield,  but  the  enthusiasm  and 
determination  that  had  taken  hold  of  the  boys  in  blue  on  that  morning 
did  not  falter  at  his  fall,  and  with  fresh  impetus — as  if  to  avenge  the  death 
of  one  so  brave  and  fearless — the  line  moved  irresistibly  forward.  The 
charge  through  the  wood  and  cornfield  and  open  ground,  leading  to  the 


244 

Hagerstown  pike  was  over  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  and  when  we  were 
halted  for  re-formation  we  were  in  full  view  of  the  historic  church  around 
which  we  are  now  assembled.  Moving  forward  again  with  no  enemy  in 
sight,  we  were  moved  in  such  a  manner  as  to  indicate  that  we  were  to 
ferret  the  whereabouts  of  the  enemy.  It  was  here  and  over  yonder 
ledge,  to  which  they  had  gone  for  shelter  and  rest  from  our  withering 
fire  we  found  them.  By  direction  of  Colonel  Higgins,  brave  Captain 
McKeage,  of  Company  G,  with  his  skirmishers,  and  the  sharp-shooters 
of  the  regiment  uncovered  their  hiding  place.  With  an  eagle  eye  one  of 
their  commanders  saw  our  exposed  flanks,  and  by  a  movement  that 
enveloped  our  entire  regiment  and  especially  our  left  flank,  we  were 
in  a  circle  and  exposed  to  a  deadly  cross  fire,  out  of  which  tnere  Deemed 
but  slight  hope  of  a  successful  retreat.  Captain  Wallace,  seeing  the 
danger  to  which  we  were  exposed,  warned  the  men  to  be  firm.  Company 
B  was  thrown  out  on  a  line  east  of  this  church,  moving  over  the  ground 
now  occupied  by  our  monument,  as  a  protection  to  our  left,  and  if  possible 
stop  the  flanking  column.  It  was  a  formidable,  and  what  proved  to  be 
an  impossible  task,  and  within  view  of  this  spot  over  150  of  our  regiment 
lay  either  dead  or  writhing  in  pain  from  the  effect  of  the  enemy's 
bullets.  Our  color-bearer,  the  gallant  Simpson,  whose  form  surmounts 
our  beautiful  monument,  with  our  bright  new  flag  in  hand  fell,  and 
gave  his  precious  life  to  his  country.  Adjutant  Johnson  and  more  than 
fifty  others  made  a  like  sacrifice.  Our  noble  artillerymen  who  had 
unlimbered  their  guns  to  our  left  and  rear,  begged  us  to  open  ranks  and 
permit  them  to  have  a  share  of  the  work  of  the  day.  Captain  Wallace 
after  our  flag  had  fallen  five  times  from  as  many  color-bearers,  seized 
our  colors  and  directed  the  rally  of  the  regiment  in  the  rear  of  the  battery. 
The  work  of  the  battery  in  the  repulse  of  the  exulting  foe  cannot  be 
described.  The  dead  of  our  brave  enemy  attest  the  fearful  sacrifice  they 
made  in  driving  us  from  the  advanced  position  we  had  taken. 

With  us  after  our  retirement  from  the  church,  the  principal  work  of 
the  day  was  over,  except  to  remain  in  position.  The  noble  gunners  as 
before  said,  fearfully  decimated  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  and  the  Sunken 
road  to  our  left  where  our  comrades  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth 
were  doing  duty,  was  converted  into  the  "  Bloody  Lane."  As  we  saw  that 
awful  suffering,  carnage  and  death  enacted  at  that  tragic  spot  within 
a  few  yards  of  where  we  now  stand,  we  realized  as  never  before  1 
"  horrors  of  war."  In  the  afternoon  we  saw  and  heard  the  movements 
of  Burnside's  men  as  they  crossed  the  creek  and  occupied  the  heights 
on  the  extreme  left  of  the  battlefield.  Thus  the  history  of  the  day  is 
briefly  and  clearly  told  from  the  standpoint  of  a  volunteer  soldier 

History  records  that  87,000  men  were  on  the  field  under  General  McClel- 
lan,  of  whom  about  57,ooo  were  engaged  in  the  battle.  Of  this  number 
12460  were  wounded,  killed  or  missing,  and  2,019  were  killed  while 
least  an  equal  number  was  killed  and  wounded  on  the  other  side  and  an 
equal  number,  or  thereabouts,  engaged.  Of  the  brave  comrades  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  that  went  Witt 
us  that  day  into  the  battle  and  crossed  these  fair  fields  to  the  spot  that 


245 

we  now  consecrate,  fifty- four  were  killed  and  died  of  wounds,  and  175 
were  w7ounded,  making  a  total  loss  of  229  of  a  possible  700  that  entered 
the  battle  in  the  morning.  To  commemorate  the  bravery  of  these  men 
and  to  point  posterity  to  the  sacrifices  made,  the  great  Commonwealth, 
of  which  we  are  citizens,  has  reared  this  beautiful  and  enduring  shaft. 
Words  will  not  properly  portray,  nor  can  pen  indite  a  proper  memorial 
to  the  brave  young  hearts  whose  life  blood  was  shed  in  and  around  this 
historic  spot. 

If  this  is  the  story  of  the  day  of  but  one  of  the  many  regiments  that 
participated  in  this  great  contest  we  may  well  ask,  what  is  the  story  of 
the  night  after  the  battle  was  over.  Let  us  pause  for  a  moment  and 
think  of  the  roll-call  when  the  shades  of  evening  had  gathered ;  when 
the  missing  ones  were  known.  Where  were  they?  was  the  question  asked 
by  the  surviving  comrades  as  those  present  answered  here.  Who  could 
tell  the  story  of  the  missing  comrades?  Each  of  us  had  an  experience 
of  his  own,  each  of  us  had  seen  a  comrade  probably  fall,  or  being  carried 
off,  and  each  then  and  there  undertook  to  search  for  a  missing  one,  and 
amid  the  gloom  of  that  night,  back  of  the  field  and  amid  the  wounded 
and  the  dying,  where  the  surgeons  were  at  work,  each  of  us  received  from 
some  one  a  message  for  the  loved  ones  at  home,  each  of  us  had  a  letter 
to  write,  each  had  a  home  of  his  own  with  which  to  communicate  and 
assure  father,  mother  and  friends  of  our  safety.  Each  had  a  message 
to  \vrite  to  the  friends  of  those  who  had  fallen.  With  these  thoughts  in 
our  hearts  and  messages  in  our  minds  the  early  hours  of  the  following 
morning  found  us  in  our  ranks,  lying  on  our  arms  in  the  line  of  battle, 
expecting  to  be  awakened  by  the  shrill  call  of  the  bugle,  or  the  roll  of 
the  drum  to  renew  the  contest. 

This  is  not  the  time  or  place  to  dwell  further  upon  this  great  con 
test.  The  thought  as  well  as  the  facts  linger  in  memory's  dream,  and,  as 
each  unfold  the  scroll,  and  read  from  our  minds  hastily,  the  deeds  of 
valor  of  our  comrades  who  here  gave  their  lives,  and  of  this  great 
action  that  was  fraught  with  so  much  that  was  potent  for  the  weal  or 
woe  of  our  great  country,  we  have  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  result  and 
are  thankful  to  a  kind  Providence  for  the  preservation  of  our  great 
nation,  and  the  honor  and  glory  of  its  people,  and  we  rejoice  in  the  fact 
that  our  country  is  to-day  as  was  intended  by  our  fathers,  in  deed  and  in 
fact  and  in  truth,  one  country,  under  one  flag,  and  that  is  the  flag  that 
was  followed  by  the  boys  in  blue  on  this  tragic  field  to  substantial  vic 
tory.  "  Old  Glory,"  the  flag  we  love  so  well,  the  emblem  of  freedom, 
equal  rights  and  national  unity. 

The  Rev.  Theodore  L.  Flood,  D.D.,  late  lieutenant  of  Com 
pany  "  C,"  followed  with  the  following  remarks : 

Mr.  President  and  Comrades :  This  is  historic  ground.  Forty  years 
ago  to-day  we  were  in  a  bloody  battle  on  the  soil  where  we  are  now 
gathered.  Some  of  our  number  fell  in  the  embrace  of  death.  The  bodies 


246 

cf  most  of  them  were  carried  to  their  homes  for  honorable  burial — a 
few  were  buried  in  the  Antietam  Cemetery  among  the  unknown  dead. 
A  large  number  in  our  regiment  were  wounded.  Inscribed  on  this  monu 
ment  is  this  statement  "  Two  hundred  and  twenty-nine  men  killed  and 
wounded  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Regiment  on  that  day." 
This  inscription  alone  speaks  volumes  concerning  the  fierceness  of  the 
conflict  and  the  deadly  struggle  in  which  our  regiment  was  engaged. 

It  is  an  historic  coincidence  that  our  color-bearer,  George  Simpson, 
whose  statue  is  the  top  piece  of  this  monument,  was  shot  in  the  temple 
and  fell  dead  while  carrying  the  flag  of  our  regiment.  He  was  the  second 
man  from  me  in  line  of  battle,  and  his  brother,  J  Randolph  Simpson,  Esq., 
of  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  was  shot  through  the  breast  and  carried  off  the 
field.  He  is  among  us  to-day,  alive  but  not  well.  And  the  sister  of  these 
two  men  has  unveiled  the  monument  from  the  statue  of  her  brother 
to-day  after  forty  years  have  passed. 

What  reminiscences  are  suggested  to  memory  as  we  turn  our  thoughts 
backward  to  the  days  when  we  marched  to  this  field  and  fought  in  that 
battle  under  General  McClellan.  The  scenes  all  about  us  after  these 
forty  years  have  passed  speak  of  peace.  The  sod  on  the  fields  is  green. 
Some  of  the  woods  have  been  felled,  but  the  remaining  trees  show  no 
signs  of  the  awful  rain  of  shot  and  shell  that  plowed  through  the  branches 
and  the  trunks  of  the  trees  that  stood  here  on  that  awful  day.  As  we 
look  abroad  on  these  hillsides  and  in  this  valley,  one  would  suppose 
that  no  such  bloody  conflict  had  ever  taken  place  on  this  soil,  but  history 
will  tell  another  story, — how  the  Union  army  met  the  Confederate  army 
in  the  bloodiest  open  field  battle  of  the  Civil  War — one  in  which  there 
were  more  soldiers  killed  and  wounded  in  one  day  than  in  any  other  one 
battle  of  the  war.  And  here  at  the  Dunkard  Church  where  wre  fought 
and  where  this  monument  stands  to  the  honor  of  the  memory  of  our 
fallen  comrades  was  one  of  the  bloodiest  angles  in  that  awful  battle. 
We  can  only  say,  peace  to  the  ashes  of  our  dead,  and  may  the  blessings 
of  God  be  upon  the  widows  and  the  orphans  of  the  men  who  died  here 
for  a  united  nation  and  a  free  people. 

Mr.  Morris  Davis,  of  Altoona,  Pa.,  who  was  a  member  of 
Company  "  D,"  read  the  following  poem : 

ANTIETAM  AFTER  FORTY-TWO  YEARS. 


Antietam :    Gentle   peaceful   stream, 

Upon  thy  banks  so  fair, 
What  memories,   to  the  mind  will  turn 

Of    one    who    lingers    there. 

He  hears  again,   or  seems   to  hear, 
The  cannon's  rumbling  wheel, 

The    rolling    drum,    the    clanking    spear, 
And  the  bugle's  stirring  peal. 


247 

He  sees  again,  or  seems   to  see, 

Along  thy  wooded  crest, 
The  southern  hosts,  with  General  Lee, 

As  on  their  arms  they  rest. 

Jackson  and  Longstreet,   Hill  and  Hood, 

With    legions    clad    in    gray, 
Along  the  hills   and   in  the  wood, 

Their    battle   lines    array. 

Then,  as  he  faces  to  the  east, 

There   rises   to   his   view 
Another  host,  equal  at  least, 

With  legions  clad  in  blue. 

The  old  commander,  "  Little  Mac," 
To  place  and  power  restored, 

With  thousands  eager  at  his  back, 
To  measure  sword  with  sword. 

Over  the  gray,  the  southern  cross, 

Floats  on  the  morning  air, 
Above  the  blue  the  breezes  toss 

"  Old    Glory,"    bright    and    fair. 

And   men    are   here,    on   either    side, 
Some  wearing  blue,   some  gray, 

Who  touching  elbows  met  the  tide 
In  many  a   former   fray. 

But  now  they  meet  in  mortal   strife, 

No  longer  comrades  true; 
A  brother  seeks  a  brother's  life, 
As  though  no  ties  they  knew. 

Spirit    of    Washington,    restrain 

The  rash  vindictive  hand 
That   would  in    madness,    rend   in   twain 

Thy  blood-bought  native  land. 

Now  Hooker,   far  out  on  the  right, 

Already  known  to  fame, 
Himself  a  host,  opens  the  fight, 

With  lustre  to  his  name. 

Franklin,  in  the  centre  of  the  field, 
His    men    with    Jackson    vie, 

And  though  they  know  not  how  to  yield, 
They  do  know  how  to  die. 


248 

While   here   upon   this   rugged   ground, 
Twelfth  corps  men  rush  and  lurch; 

Mansfield  receives  a  mortal  wound, 
Near   the   famous   Dunkard   church. 

Here   Barlow,   having  well   bestowed, 

A  storm  of  leaden  rain, 
Has  changed  the  name  of  Sunken  Road 

To   that   of   "The   Bloody   Lane." 

"  Oh,   Maryland,   My  Maryland," 

From    thy   devoted   sod, 
What  valiant  men  are  called  to  stand 

This   day,   before  their   God? 

Down  on  the  left,   where  Burnsides'  knights 

Have  waited  mid-day  sun, 
They  storm  the  bridge  and  scale  the  heights, 

Before   the   day  is   done. 

And  since  that  day  this  arch  of  stone 
Is  known  as  "  Burnside's  Bridge  " ; 

Now  may  the   heights   beyond  be  known 
By  the  name  of  "  Rodman's  Ridge." 

For  here,  before  the  close  of  day, 

Brave  General  Rodman  fell, 
And  bled  his  gallant  life  away 

For  the  cause  he  loved  so  well. 

But  night   has    fallen   on  the   scene, 

And   now   with  bated  breath 
Each  warrior  mourns  with  anguish  keen 

For  comrades  cold  in  death. 

May  the  great  God,  who  rules  above, 
And  guides  the  affairs  of  men, 

Forbid,  in  his  infinite  love 
Such  fratricide  again. 

The  entire  audience  joined  in  singing  "  America." 

My  country,  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty, 

Of  thee  I  sing! 
Land  where  our  fathers  died, 
Land   of   the  pilgrims'   pride, 
From  every  mountain  side 

Let  freedom  ring. 


249 

Our  Father's  God  to  thee 
Author  of  Liberty, 

To  Thee  we  sing — 
Long  may  our  land  be  bright 
With    freedom's   holy   light, 
Protect  us  by  Thy  might, 

Great  God,  our  King. 

The  Rev.  E.  A.  Zeek  pronounced  the  benediction. 

The  following  members  of  the  regiment  were  present:  Sur 
geon  F.  B.  Davison. 

Company  A— O.  G.  Smith,  John  S.  Dell,  Thomas  W.  Kurd, 
John  Crowell,  J.  W.  Grazier,  J.  P.  Wolf. 

Company  B — W.  D.  Fouse,  Ephraim  Gerst,  James  Geiser, 
James  J.  Houck,  B.  F.  Wolfkill,  Joseph  Sias. 

Company  C — Captain  W.  W.  Wallace,  J.  R.  Simpson,  J.  H. 
Friday,  D.  P.  Henderson,  Z.  G.  Cresswell,  Porter  A.  Robb,  Dr. 
W.  B.  Brenneman,  Alex  Denny,  John  White,  Rev.  E.  A.  Zeek, 
James  A.  Green,  George  W.  Friedley,  Rev.  Dr.  T.  L.  Flood,  M. 
S.  Lytle,  George  Ehman,  H.  A.  Huffman. 

Company  D— W.  T.  Miller,  F.  W.  Gearhart,  S.  D.  Aiken,  R. 
M.  Davis,  E.  L.  Russ. 

Company  E — Levi  Leedom,  H.  M.  Wilt. 

Company  F — J.  F.  N.  Householder,  M.  L.  Protzman,  F.  H. 
Lane,  Jacob  Morgan,  James  A.  Mitchell. 

Company  G — Thomas  McCamant,  George  R.  Curtiss,  Joseph 
H.  Reed,  Thomas  J.  Charles,  H.  H.  Hewitt,  Henry  C.  Taylor, 
William  H.  McClelland,  D.  F.  Philips. 

Company  H — James  T.  Foster,  R.  L.  Hunter,  William  Davis. 

Company  I — H.  C.  Warfel,  Isaac  Woomer,  J.  G.  Coder, 
S.  S.  Coder,  Frank  Corbin. 

Company  K — E.  R.  Dunnegan,  J.  D.  Hicks,  William  P.  Speil- 
man,  John  Coho. 

During  the  exercises  and  while  the  Hon.  J.  D.  Hicks  was 
delivering  his  address  Governor  Pennypacker  and  staff  drove  up 
to  the  monument  and  tarried  awhile  and  shook  hands  with  the 
survivors  and  their  friends.  At  the  order  of  regimental  business 
Captain  Wallace  was  re-elected  president,  Thomas  McCamant 
vice-president,  J.  R.  Simpson  treasurer  and  J.  D.  Hicks  and  W.  T. 
Miller  secretaries. 


250 
DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MONUMENT. 

Confederate  Avenue,  West  of  Dunker  Church. 


A  Color  Sergeant  with  his  regimental  flag  partly  unfurled  to  the 
breeze,  with  eagerness  written  in  every  line  of  his  manly  face  and  lithe 
body,  with  hand  on  the  sword  at  his  side,  ready  to  spring  forward  at 
the  command  to  lead  his  comrades  anywhere  and  everywhere  they  are 
ordered  to  go,  well  typifies  the  hero  color-bearer  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-fifth  Infantry  who  lost  his  life  in  this  battle  on  the  very 
spot  marked  by  this  grand  monument. 

This  statue  is  a  portrait  statue  of  Color  Sergeant  George  A.  Simpson 
and  well  illustrates  the  possibility  of  securing  in  enduring  granite,  faith 
ful  portraiture  and  detail  of  uniform  and  accoutrement.  Stanley  Edwards 
was  selected  as  the  artist  to  execute  this  portrait  statue. 

The  pedestal  supporting  this  statue  is  built  of  four  stones,  two 
bases,  die  and  cap.  Rough  quarry  faced  effects  are  shown  in  its  com 
position  and  very  happily  combined,  with  a  touch  here  and  there  of 
fine  hammered  surfaces.  This  command  was  also  of  the  Twelfth  Corps 
and  therefore  the  band  of  five  pointed  stars  cut  on  the  upper  portion 
of  the  die  stone  is  not  only  very  appropriate,  but  very  ornamental. 

A  large  five-pointed  star,  occupying  the  entire  face  of  the  left  hand 
face  of  the  die  is  also  cut  into  the  surface  of  the  granite. 

On  the  front  panel  of  the  die  is  a  large  bronze  inscription  panel,  as 
follows  : 

I25TH 

PENNSYLVANIA 

VOLUNTEERS 

INFANTRY 

1ST   BRIGADE    1ST   DIVISION 
I2TH    CORPS 


RECRUITED    IN    BLAIR 

HUNTINGTON    AND   CAMBRIA 

COUNTIES    PENNA 

On  the  right  hand  panel,  a  bronze  panel  bearing  the  following  inscrip 
tion  : 

MOVED  AT  EARLY  DAWN  FROM  BIVOUAC 
ON  FARM  OF  GEORGE  LINE  TO  EAST  WOODS 
NEAR  POINT  WHERE  GEN.  J.  F.  MANSFIELD 

WAS  MORTALLY  WOUNDED  FROM  THERE  TO 
SUPPORT  MONROE'S  FIRST  RHODE  ISLAND 
BATTERY  ON  SMOKETOWN  ROAD  THEN  TO 
WOODS  THAT  STOOD  HERE  SEPTEMBER  17 

1862.         WAS      THE      FIRST      UNION      REGIMENT 


251 

THEREIN  BEING  FAR  ADVANCED  AND  WITHOUT 
SUFFICIENT  SUPPORT  IT  WAS  OUTFLANKED  BY 
THE  ENEMY  AND  RETIRED  BEHIND  BATTERIES 
IN  FIELD  IN  REAR  AND  SUBSEQUENTLY 
SAVED  THE  GUNS  OF  MONROE^S  BATTERY 
FROM  CAPTURE.  REMAINED  IN  LINE  UNTIL 
CLOSE  OF  BATTLE  MONUMENT  IS  NEAR 
THE  LEFT  OF  ITS  MAIN  LINE  OF  BATTLE 

LOSS    AT    ANTIETAM 

KILLED    AND   DIED    OF    WOUNDS  54 

SERIOUSLY     WOUNDED  gi 

SLIGHTLY     WOUNDED     AND     NOT     REPORTED         84 

229 

The  cap  stone  has  a  battlement  effect  on  its  rough  surfaces,  sug 
gestive  of  the  ancient  battle  towers,  that  is  very  rugged  and  dignified, 
and  on  the  front  face  of  the  plinth  stone  may  be  seen  the  record  of  the 
death  of  Color  Sergeant  George  A.  Simpson  of  this  regiment.  The 
square  of  the  lower  base  is  6  feet,  the  height  9  feet,  the  total  height, 
including  staff  of  colors,  ig'-4". 


PORTRAITS   OF   COMRADES 


CAPTAIN  FRANK  M.   BELL, 

Company  A,  I25th  Regiment.  P-  V. 

Died  March  10,  1901. 
(See  pages  34,  132,  175,  295.) 


WILLIAM  H.  SIMPSON, 

Captain    Co.   F,    i25th    Regiment,    P.   V.     Wounded    at  Antietam    and 
Chancellorsville. 

(See  pages  36,  202,  and  311.) 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  MACKEAGE, 

Company  G,  J25th  Regiment,  P.  V. 

Died  February  12,  1874. 
(See  pages  36,  91,  137,  175,  314.) 


17 


REV.  E.  A.  ZEEK,  Co.  C. 

Wounded  at  Antietam. 
(See  page  207.) 


MORDECAI  GAHAGAN,  Co.  C. 


GEORGE  SPRANKLE,  Co.  C 

Wounded  at  Antietam. 
(See  page  208.) 


JOHN  II.  FRIDAY,  Co.  C. 


ASBURY  DERLAND,  Co.  C. 

Promoted  Quartermaster  of  i25th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 
and  served  as  Quartermaster,  Department  of  West  Virginia,  until  the  close 
of  the  war  in  1865.  Died  October  gth,  1897. 


WALTER  W.  GREENLAND, 

Sergeant  Company  C,  i25th  Regiment,  P.  V.,  and  Adjutant-General 
of  Pennsylvania  during  Governor  Pattison's  adminis 
tration.      (Deceased.) 

( See  page  208. ) 


HENRY  C.  WARFEL,  Co.   I. 

Re-enlisted,  and  awarded  Medal  of  Honor  by  Con 
gress  for  capturing  Confederate  Flag. 
(See  page  204.) 


Jos.  M.   BECKER,  Co.   F, 

Sergeant-Major  of  I25th   Regiment,  P.   V. 


J.  RANDOLPH  SIMPSON, 

Sergeant  Company  C,  i25th  Regiment,  P.  V.     Seriously  wounded  at 

Antietam,  September  17,  1862. 

(See  pages  168,  178,  302.) 


J.  FLETCHER  CONRAD, 

Corporal,  Company  C,  i25th  Regiment,  P.  V. 

Promoted  Hospital  Steward. 
(See  pages  5,  198,  295,  and  302.) 


ALFRED  C.  IRVINE,  Co.  G. 


* 


CORPORAL  THOMAS  M.   BARR,  Co.  G. 


I 


GEORGE    R.    CURTIS,    Co.    ( 


s 


J.  CALVIN  Russ,  Co.  G. 


I 


JOHN  MATTHEWS,  Co.   K. 


LIEUT.  J.  F.  N.   HOUSEHOLDER,  Co.   F, 


isr  LIEUT.   FRANKLIN  H.    LANE,  Co.   F 

(See  pages  201  and  208.) 


EDWARD  L.  Russ,  SERGEANT,  Co.   D. 

Wounded  at  Antietam. 
(See  page  205.) 


DAVID  KYI.ER,  Co.  F. 


JAMES  A.  MITCHELL, 

Private  Co.  F,  i25th  Regt.,  Pa.  Vol.,  and  Cc 
H.5th  Pa.  Cavalry. 


ROBERT  COZZENS, 

Company  F,  i25th  Regiment,  P.  V. 


THOMAS  M.  WRIGHT.  Co.  F. 


18 


ELIJAH  C.  DUNMIRE,  Co.  C. 

Died  Sept.  24,  1862,  at  Georgetown  Hospital,  D.  C.,  from  camp  fever. 
On  his  death-bed,  in  the  delirium  of  fever,  he  prayed  for  the  preservation  of 
our  country,  and  added,  "  O  Lord,  bless  our  enemies,  and  cause  the  evil 
they  intend  to  be  overruled  for  our  good." 


DR.  GEORGE  B.  DUNMIRE,  Co.  A. 

He  became  practicing  physician  in  Philadelphia,  and  died  Oct. 
1905,  aged  68  years. 


JOHN  S.  MCCARTHY, 

Company  H,  i25th  Regiment,  P.  V.     Killed  at  Antietam 
September  17,  1862. 


DAVID  R.  DONNELLY,  Co.  B. 

Wounded  at  Antietam. 
(See  page  203.) 


THOMAS  S.   WHITTAKER, 

Private  Co.  C.  i25th  P.  V.,  ist  Lieut.  Co.  M, 
2oth  Cav.  (Whittaker). 


c 

fMT 


IS  ,# 


HENRY  H.  GREGG, 

Captain  Co.  H,  i25th  Regiment,  P.  V.  and  Lieut. -Col.  of  i3th  Pa. 
Cavalry. 

(See  page  202,  and  317.) 


IST.   LIEUT.  E.   R.   DUNNEGAN,  Co.   K. 

Complimented  by  Gen.   Geary  for  gallantry  in  action.       Was  recom- 
nended  for  promotion  as  Captain  in  a  new  regiment.    Died  June  14,  1906. 
(See  page  37.) 


DAVID  P.   HENDERSON,  CORPORAL  Co.  C. 

(See  page  192.) 


*'  3 


GEO.  G.  WYLAND,  Co.  C. 

Ruptured  at  Harper's  Ferry. 
(Deceased.) 


* 


WILLIAM  S.  HOAR,  Co.   D. 

Wounded  at  Antietam. 
(See  page  206.) 


* 

I 


DR.  M.   B.  BRENNEMAN,  Co.  C. 

Wounded  at  Antietam. 
(See  page  206.) 


J.  OSCAR  MOORE,  Co.  F. 

(See  page  207.) 


OF  THt 

UNIVERSITY 


DR.   F.   B.   DAVISON, 

Asst.  Surgeon  I25th   Regiment  P.  V 


H.    F.    SCHOEMAKER     Co.    F. 


ALFRED  FULTON,  Co.  F. 


ANDRKW  GEIST,  Co.  F 

(See  page  205.) 


CORP.  WM.   T-   HAMPSOX,  Co.  F. 


WILLIAM  T.   MILLER, 

Company  D,  i25th  Regiment,  P.  V 


II 


\v 


JF* 


IST  SERG.  HILL  P.  WILSON,  Co.   B., 

Captain  of  Co.  I,  Stevens'  Regiment,  at  Nashville,  Tenn 
(See  page  208.) 


NATHAN  H.  GORSUCH,  Co.   H. 


JAMES  H.  DAVIS,  Co.  H 


LEVI  G.  HECK,  Co.   H. 

(See  page  204.) 


HENRY  M.   PARUONNER,   Co.  H. 


19 


PATRICK  SHANNON,  Co.  I. 


ROSTER 


OF  THE 


125™  REGIMENT 

Pennsylvania   Volunteers 

(INFANTRY) 


ONE    HUNDRED    AND    TWENTY-FIFTH 
REGIMENT,  P.  V. 


FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Jacob  Higgins Colonel 

Jacob  Szink Lt.    Col. 

I 

John  J.  Lawrence.  Major 

Robert  M .  Johnston  Adj ' t . 


John  G.  Cain 


Adj't. 


William  C.  Bayley.  Q.  M. 

Asbury  Derland    .  .  Q.  M. 

Lewis  C.  Cummings  Surgeon 

John  Feay Asst.  Surgn 

Frs.  B.  Davidson  .  .  Asst.  Surgn 

Augustus  Davis  .  .  .  Asst.  Surgn 

Lafayette  F.  Butler,  Asst.  Surgn 

John  D.   Stewart..  Chaplain 

Joseph  M.  Becker.  Sr.  Maj. 


Aug.  1 6, 
Aug.  14, 

Aug.  15, 
Aug.  1 6, 

Aug.  1 6, 
Aug.  1 6, 

Aug.  n, 

Sept.  23, 
Aug.  1 6, 

Aug.  1 6, 

Dec.  10, 

Feb.  n, 

:.  16, 


'62 


'62 


'62 


'62 


'62 


'62 


Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment  May  1 8th,  1863. 
Promoted  from  Capt. 
Co.  D,  Aug.  16,  '62 — 
mustered  out  with  regi 
ment  May  1 8,  1863. 
Promoted  from  Capt. 
Co.  F,  Aug.  1 6,  '62 — 
mustered  out  with  regi 
ment  May  18,  1863. 
Died  Sept.  19  of  wound 
received  at  Antietam, 
Md.  September  iyth, 
1862. 

Promoted  from  2nd 
Lt.  Co.  E.  Sept.  20, 
'62 — mustered  out  with 
Regiment  May  1 8, 1 863 . 
j  Discharged  April  15, 

'62      1863.      For   promotion 

!  to  Brigade  commission. 

Promoted     from     Cor- 

,fi  poral  Co.  C,  Nov.  7,  '62 
— mustered  out  with 
regiment  May  18,  1863. 

,  f.  Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment  May  1 8,  1863. 

,,       Discharged   by   special 
order   Oct.    g,    1862. 
!  Discharged   by   special 

'62  order,  November  24, 
1862. 

Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment  May  1 8,   1863. 
Mustered  out  with  regi- 


'63 


'62 


ment  May  18,   1863. 
Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment  May  1 8,   1863. 
Promoted  from  private 
A  ,,        Co.    F   Aug.    16,    '62— 

Aug.  12,   62    |  mustered  out  with  regi- 
I  ment  May  18,   1863 
293" 


294 


NAME.                                Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Promoted  from  private 

David  Feay  QMS 

Aug. 

10,  '62 

Co.    B   Aug.    1  8,    '62— 
mustered  out  with  regi 

ment  May  1  8,   1863. 

Promoted  from  private 

Henry  L.  Irvine.  .  .        Com.  Sr. 

Aug. 

13,  '62 

Co.  G  March  15,  '63  — 
mustered  out  with  regi 

ment  May  1  8,   1863. 

Samuel  G.  Baker.  .        Com.  Sr. 

Aug. 

10,  '62 

Died  at  Stafford  C.  H., 
Va.    March    14,    1863. 

Promoted     from     Cor 

John  F.  Conrad.  .  .         Hos.  St. 

Aug. 

II,  '62 

poral    Co.    C   Aug.    20, 
'62  —  mustered  out  with 

regiment  May  18,  1863. 

COMPANY  A. 

Mustered  into  service  Aug.  10,   1862.  Mustered  out  May  18,  1863. 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 

R-Cinarks. 

into  service. 

Francis  M.   Bell.  .  . 

Capt. 

Aug.  10,  '62 

Killed   at   Chancellors- 

Jesse   S.    Stewart.  . 

ist  Lt. 

ville,     Va.,     May    3rd, 

1863. 

Wilbur  F.  Martin.  . 

ist  Lt. 

Wd.  at  Antietam,  Md. 

Sept.  17,  '62 

David  G.  Ganoe.  .  . 

2nd.  Lt. 

Promoted       from      ist 
Sergt.  May  4,  '63. 

Pr.    Fr.    Cor.    to    Sgt. 

Alfred  Abbott  .... 

ist   Sergt. 

Jan.     28     '63  —  to     ist 

Sgt.  May   4,    '63. 

Oliver  G.  Smith  .  .  . 

Sergt. 

Chas.   Merriman  .  .  . 

Sergt. 

Wm.   B.   Meredith. 

Sergt. 

William  Funk 

Sergt. 

Pro.  Fr.  Corporal  May 

4,  '63. 

William  Miller  

Corp. 

C.  F.  Kirkpatrick.  . 

Corp. 

Wm.  H.H.  Berry.. 

Corp. 

J.  W.  Hendershot.  . 

Corp. 

Henry  B.  Duck  

Corp. 

Geo.  C.  Davison  .  .  . 

Corp. 

H.  I.  Boughamer.  . 

Corp. 

John  W.  Grazier.  .  . 

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
May  4,  '63. 

Note: — Those  who,  for  any  cause,  were  mustered  out  before  the  end 
of  the  term,  are  indicated  by  the  dates  given  and  causes  named;  all  who 
are  not  so  marked  served  out  their  full  term  and  were  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment  May,  1863. 


295 


NAME. 


Rank. 


Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 


William  C.  Kean  .  .  Corp. 


Amon  G.  Edwards  Corp. 


Andrew  Woomer  .  .  Corp. 


Clodius,  Chas. 


Coy,  John 


Crissman,  Austin .  . 

Deahle,   Henry .... 

Dell,  John 

Dunmire,  Geo.  B. .  . 
Dickson,  David  F. . 
Eakins,  David  W. . 

Esterline,  Jno.  M..  . 


Private 


Private 


Private 

Private 
Private 
Private 
Private 
Private 

Private 


Remarks. 


Aug.  10,  '62 


David  S.  Johnson.  . 

Mus. 

Stephen  V.  Haslett  ' 

Mus. 

Jacob  Avers  

Private 

Jos.  W.  Ake  

Private 

Baker,  Isaac  F.  .  .  . 

Private 

Beatty,  Jos.  W.  K.  . 

Private 

Bennett,  Alexander 

Private 

Beyer,  Ezra  C  

Private 

Bowrls    Jas    B  

Private 

Bressler,  Lindley  H 

Private 

Beamer,  Thos.  W.. 

Private 

Crane,  Andrew  P.. 

Private 

Crocker,  Henry  H.. 

Private 

Crone   Wm  ; 

Private 

Crowl   John          .  .  . 

Private 

Cunningham,  D.  T. 

Private 

Discharged      on      Sur 
geon's  Certificate  Dec. 
24,  1862. 
Died  at  Chambersburg, 


Pa.,     Oct. 


.„.,     ™.  9th,     1862, 

of  wounds  received  at 

Antietam,  Sept.      17, 
1862. 

Killed     at  Antietam, 

Sept.     17,  '62 — buried 

in      Nat'l.  Cemetery, 

Grave  No.  3669  Penna. 
Section. 


Died  at  Alexandria, 
Va.,  Dec.  i7th,  1862. 
Died  at  Stafford  C.  H., 
Va.,  March  18,  1863. 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  '62. 


Died  of  wounds  receiv 
ed  at  Chancellors ville, 
May  3,  '63. 

Discharged  Jan.  24, 
'63  for  wounds  rec'd. 
at  Antietam  Sept.  iyth, 
1862. 

Died  Sept.  20,  ^  1862, 
of  wounds  rec'd.  at 
Antietam  Sept.  17, 
1862. 


Captured    at    Chancel- 
lorsville,    Va.,    May    3, 


296 


NAME. 

Rank. 

:      Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Funk,  George 

PriVcitG 

Killed      at      Antietam 

Garman,  Philip  .... 

Private 

Aug.  10,  '62 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Green,  William.  .  .  . 

Private 

Hart,  Jonathan.  .  .  . 

Private 

Hicks,  Daniel  

Private 

Heard,  Thos.  W.  .  . 

Private 

Hook,  Sam'l 

PriVcitG 

Housman,  Jas  

Hunter,  Thos  

Private 

Absent   in   hospital   at 

muster  out. 

Herman,  Moses.  .  .  . 

Private 

Discharged     Jan.      26, 

Huff,  Chas.  .  .  . 

Private 

'63    for   wounds   rec'd. 

at  Antietam  Sept.    17, 

1862. 

Hunter,  Jas.  H  

Private 

Killed      at     Antietam 

Sept.  17,  '62. 

Henchey,  Sam'l  A.  . 

Private 

Died  at  Harper's  Ferry 

Oct.  20,  1862. 

Isenberg,  John  W.  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 

Md.,   Sept.    17,    '62. 

Jones,  Daniel  

Private 

Discharged      on      Sur 

geon's  Certificate  Dec. 

10,  1862. 

Keatley,  Calvin  F.  . 

Private 

Keatley,  John  H..  . 

Private 

Kinsel,  John  M.  .  .  . 

Private 

Kerr,  Robt  

Private 

Kinsel,  Erastus.  .  .  . 

Private 

Died    Apr.     7,     '63    of 
wounds  rec'd.  at  Antie 

Laporte,  Adolph  M. 

Private 

tam,  Sept,  17,  '62. 

Lego,  Wm.  F  

Private 

Merriman,  Wm.  F.  . 

Private 

Myers,  Thomas.  .  .  . 

Private 

Myers,   John  

Private 

Miles,  George  

Private 

M'llvane,  Henry  C. 

Private 

M'Avoy,  Michael  .  . 

Private 

M'Quillen,  A.  W.... 

Private 

M'Quillen,  Wm.  ... 

Private 

M'Carney,  Geo.  S.. 

Private 

M'Coy,  John  

Private 

M'Gill,  Thos.  T.  .  .  . 

Private 

McFarland,  John  A 

Private 

Died  at  Stafford  C.  H 

Osborn,  David  P.  .  . 

Private 

Feb.   8,    '63. 

297 


Date  of  Muster 

NAME. 

Rank. 

into  service. 

Remarks. 

Orr,  Geo   W    

Private 

Aug.  10,  '62 

Robinson   Jas 

Private 

Rosberry,  Jas  

Private 

Rosberry,  John  T.  . 

Private 

Sharrer,  Geo.  W.  .  . 

Private 

Sloan,  John  

Private 

Smith,  Thos  

Private 

Sturtsman,  Henry. 

Private 

Stevens,  David  M.. 

Private 

Shaw,  Daniel  

Private 

Died  Sept.  28,  1882,  of 

\VOUTIQS  rcc.   cit  iiHtiG~ 
tarn,    Sept.    17,    1862. 

Templeton,  John  R. 

Private 

Thomas,  Geo.  W.  .  . 

Private 

Thomas,  Jerry  B  .  .  . 

Private 

Discharged      on      Sur 

Vaughn,  Henry  

Private 

geon's  Certificate  Dec. 

10,  1862. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Vaughn,  George    .  . 

Private 

Sept.        17,       '62  —  dis 
charged    on    Surgeon's 
certificate  April  i,  1863  . 

Discharged      on      Sur 

Vanscoyoc,  Abr'm. 

Private 

geon's  Certificate  March 

15,  1863. 

Watson,    Jerry.  .  .  . 

Private 

Wilson,  Jos.  P  

Private 

Absent,  sick,  at  muster 
out. 

Wolf,  Isaac  P  

Private 

Wesley,  Chas  

Private 

Died     at     Smoketown, 

Wolf,    Theawalt  .  .  . 

Private 

Md.    Jan.     25,     '63     of 
wounds   rec'd.    at   An 

tietam,  Sept.  17,  1862. 

COMPANY   B. 

Mustered  into  service  Aug.  10,  1862.  Mustered  out  May    18,  1863 

(Exceptions  indicated. ) 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Ulysses  L.  Huyett. 

Capt.         |  Aug.  ii,  '62 

Joseph  R.  Higgins. 

ist.  Lt. 

Aug.  ii,  '62 

G.  Schollenberger  .  .         2nd.  Lt.         Aug.  n,  '62 

Hill  P.  Wilson  ist.  Sergt. 

Aug.  ii,  '62 

Jas.   Houck  

Sergt. 

Wounded    at    Chan 
lorsville,    May    T., 

cel- 
'63. 

James  Schollar  .... 

Sergt. 

298 


Sam'l.  G.  Baker.  .  .  . 

Sergt. 

i^ieu  ai  oiauuiu.  ^.   n. 

Mar.  19,  '63. 

Joseph  Sias 

Corn 

.r 

James  Geiser  

Corp. 

Aug.  u,  '62 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  '62. 

Robert  Feay  

Corp. 

Robert  McFalls  

Corp. 

Jas.  C.  Carey  

Corp. 

F.  M.  McKienan.  .  . 

Corp. 

Aug.  n,  '62 

Daniel  P.  Irvine.  .  . 

Corp. 

Promoted  to   Corporal 
Sept.  21. 

Blijah  Kstep 

Corp 

Promoted   to   Corporal 

T>      1 

f' 

Feb.  4. 

Discharged      on      Sur 

John  D.  Patterson. 

Corp. 

geon's   Certificate  Jan. 

26,  1863. 

J.  A.  B.  M'Kamey. 

Mus. 

(Aug.  n) 

•Calvin  C.  Hewitt.  . 

Mus. 

(Aug.  n) 

Amhizer,  Daniel.  .  . 

Private 

Aurandt,  Jacob  F.  . 

Private 

Killed   at    Chancellors- 
ville   May   3,    1863. 

Blake,  William  B.. 

Private 

Wounded    at    Chancel- 
lorsville    May    3,     '63. 

Brantner,  James  S. 

Private 

Brunnell,  Wm  

Private 

Wounded    at    Chancel- 
lorsville,   May   3,    '63. 

Brunnell,  Theo.  N.  . 

Private 

Brumbaugh,  J.  C.  .  . 

Private 

Butts,  Wm.  G 

Private 

Discharged      on      Sur 

Brantner,  Jno.  H.  . 

Private 

geon's  Certificate  Dec. 

9,  1862. 

Carles,  Henrv  D.  .  . 

Private 

Cooper,  Jas.  M  

Private 

'Cooper,  Theodore  N 

Private 

Died    at    Fairfax    Sta. 
Jan.  3,  1863. 

Daugherty,  Vic.  V. 

Private 

(Aug.  12) 

DeHaven,   Wesley. 

Private 

Donnelly,  David  R. 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1863. 

Eicholtz,  Alfred.  .  . 

Private 

Died    at   Hagerstown, 

Ewing,  Levi  M  

Private 

Md.,   Sept.    21,    '62,    of 
wounds  received  at  An 

tietam,    Sept.     17. 

Fouse,  Wm.  D 

Private 

299 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Feav    David 

Private 

Aug.  10,  '62 

Pro.    to    Q.    M.    Sergt. 

Aug.  18,  1862. 

Garner,  Jos.  C  

Private 

Wounded    at    Chancel- 
lorsville  May  2,   '63. 

Geiser,  Tillman  .... 

Private 

Heller,  Edw.  W.  .  .  . 

Private 

Houck,  Geo.  A  

Private 

Huyett,  Miles  C.  .  .  . 

Private 

Lang,  Jos.  H  

Private 

Lang,    William  .... 

Private 

Lower,  Henry  G.  .  . 

Private 

Love,  John  D  

Private 

Wounded    at    Chancel- 
lorsville  May  3,   '63. 

Lucas,  John  H  

Private 

Lucas,    Abraham.. 

Private 

Lucas,    Gabriel  .... 

Private 

Discharged      on      Sur 
geon's  Certificate  Dec. 

9,  1862. 

Metz,  Thos.  G  

Private 

Metz,  Thornton  B.. 

Private 

Mock,  John  E  
M'Coy,  Wm  

Private 
Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

M'Gonegal,  Geo.  W. 
M'Manamy,  John.  . 

Private 
Private 

Wd.  and  mis.  in  action 
at  Antietam  Sept.  17/62 

M'Manamy,  Wilson 

Private 

M'Michaels,  John.  . 

Private 

Nicodemus,  Jno.  H. 

Private 

Powell,  Milton  P.  .  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Sept.    17,    1863. 

Phillips,  Ralph.  .  .  . 

Private 

Deserted  Aug.  12,  1862. 

Reiger,  August  .... 

Private 

Rhodes,  George  H. 

Private 

Captured    at    Chancel- 
lorsville   May   3,    1863. 

Rhodes,  Wm.  H..  . 

Private 

Richards,  John  .... 

Private 

Wounded    at    Chancel- 
lorsville,    May    3,    '63. 

Riley,  William  N.  .  . 

Private 

Shaffer,  Sam'l.  B..  . 

Private 

Shinefelt,  John  C.  .  . 

Private 

Sloneker,  Lemu'l.  A 

Private 

Stuart,  Asbury  H.  . 

Private 

Stuart,  Madison  W. 

Private 

Sparr,  Samuel  

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Simms,  Andrew  W. 

Private 

Sept.    17,    '62   and  dis 

charged    on    Surgeon's 

Certificate  Dec.  24,  '62. 

300 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster     ! 
into  service.                              Remarks. 

Died  Dec.  30,  1862,  at 

Fort     Schuyler,      New 

Straithoof  ,  Jacob  .  . 

Private 

Aug.  10,  '62 

York.     Buried    in    Cy- 

press     Hill      Cemetery, 

L.    I.,   grave    583. 

Died  Feb.  15,  1863,  at 

Straithoof,  Johnson 

Private 

Washington,  buried  in 
Mil.  Asylum  Cemetery, 

D.  C. 

Tresse,  Wm  

Private 

Tresse,  Harry  

Private 

Trout,  Alexander.  . 

Private 

Tresse,  David  

Private 

Died       at       Maryland 
Heights,    Oct.    26,    '62. 

Died  at  Frederick,  Md. 

Nov.      30,       1862,      of 

wounds  received  at  An- 

Teats,  John  A  

Private 

tietam    Sep.    17,    1862. 

Buried      in     Antietam 

Nat.    Cemetery,    grave 
4043,  Penna.  Section. 

Withers,    Henry.  .  . 

Private 

Walters,  Jos  

Private 

Westbrook,  Wm..  . 

Private 

Winters,  George.  .  . 

Private 

Wounded    at    Chancel- 
lorsville,   May  3,    '63. 

Whitehead,  John  .  . 

Private 

Wolford,  Edw  

Private 

Wolf  kill,  Benj.  F..  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.    17,    1862. 

Yerger,  Geo.  W.  .  .  . 

Private 

COMPANY  C. 

Mustered  into  service  Aug.  n,  1862.              Mustered  out  May  18,  1863. 

(Exceptions  indicated.) 

NAME.                                  Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Wm.  W.  Wallace.  .           Captr. 

Aug.  16,  '62 

Wm.  B.  Ziegler.  .  .  .         ist.  Lt.             (Aug.  16) 

Resigned  Feb.  25,  1863. 

L.  Frank  Watson.  .          ist.  Lt. 

Promoted      fr.      Sergt. 
Feb.  7,  1863. 

Wm.  F.  McPherran        2nd.  Lt.            (Aug.  16)        Died     Feb.     6,      1863. 

Theodore  L.  Flood.         2nd.  Lt. 

Promoted       Fr.        ist. 
Sergt.   Feb.   7,    1863. 

John  D.  Isett  

ist.  Sergt. 

Promoted   from   Sergt  . 
Feb.    7,    1863. 

W.  W.  Greenland.. 

Sergt.              (Aug.  14) 

301 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service.                              Remarks. 

J.  R.  M'Murtrie.  .  . 

Sergt. 

,  A                      Promoted     from     Cor- 
(Aug.  13)        poml   Sept     I8>    ,62 

Chas.  E.  Campbell. 

Sergt. 

Promoted     from     Cor 
poral    Feb.    7,    1863. 

Henry  A.  Hoffman. 

Sergt. 

Promoted     from     Cor 
poral   Feb.    26,    '63. 

Discharged     April      3  , 

John  R.  Simpson.  . 

Sergt. 

1863,    for    wounds    re- 
!  ceived      at      Antietam 

Sept.   17,    1862. 

Killed      at      Antietam 

Sept.    17,    1862,  buried 

George  A.  Simpson. 

Sergt. 

in   National  Cemetery, 

grave  No.  3953,  Penna. 

Section. 

Thomas  C.  Fisher.  . 

Corp. 

(Aug.  13) 

Z.  G.  Cress  well.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Miles    Zentmyer.  .  . 

Corp. 

fAm     T^         Promoted   to   Corporal 
(Aug.  13)         Sept.  17,  1862. 

James  E.  Wilson.  . 

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
Nov.  7,  1862. 

David  P.Henderson 

Corp. 

Promoted  to   Corporal 
Oct.  30,  1862. 

Robert  C.  Morrow. 

Corp. 

Promoted  to   Corporal 
Feb.  7.  1863. 

John  R.  Isenberg.  . 

Corp. 

Asbury  Derland  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Promoted  to   Quarter 
master   Nov.    7,    '62. 

Pr.  to   2nd.  Lt.  Co.  F. 

Thomas  J.  Gregg.  . 

Corp. 

7othreg.  P.  V.  Nov.  20, 

1862. 

Transferred    to    U.    S. 

Albert  C.  Snyder.  . 

Corp. 

telegraph     Corps     Jan. 

3.  1863. 

John  F.  Conrad.  .  . 

Corp. 

Promoted    to  Hospital 
Steward  Aug.    20,    '62. 

Died  Nov.  13,  1862,  of 

Benj.  F.  Williams.  . 

Corp. 

wds.  rec'd.  at  Antietam 

Sept.    17,    1862. 

Geo.  W.  Friedley.  . 

Mus. 

(Aug.  14) 

Africa,  Geo.  H 

Private 

/A                       Died  at  Rockville,  Md. 

(  x\u.2^.   17}            A~\    j           /•          o  /- 

^}        Oct.    26,    1862. 

Benner,  Thomas  M. 

Private 

Baker,  Wm  

Private 

Brenneman,  J.  C.  .  . 

Private 

Brenneman,  M.  L.  . 

Private 

Discharged   April    6th, 

Brenneman,  M.  B    . 

Private 

'63  for  wrounds  received 
at  Antietam  Sept.    17, 

'62. 

Brenneman,    G.  W. 

Private 

Died  Nov.  10,   1862. 

302 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Re-marks. 

Canan,    Henry  .... 

Private 

Carmon,  John  

Private 

Carmon,  Henry  C.  . 

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Discharged      on      Sur 

Conrad,  Benson  W. 

Private 

geon's  Certificate  Aug. 

29,  1862. 

Decker,  Harry  P.  . 

Private 

Denny,  Alexander. 

Private 

Dewalt,  John  A.  ... 

Private 

Died  Oct.   n,   1862,  of 

Decker,   Nicholas  .  . 

Private 

wounds  rec'd.  at  Antie- 

tam,  Md. 

Dunmire,  Elijah  C. 

Private 

Died    at    Georgetown, 
D.   C.,   Sept.   24,    1862. 

Ehman,  George  .  .  . 

Private 

Enyeart,  Thomas  L. 

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Fockler,  J.  Lee.  .  .  . 

Private 

Funk,  Tames.  . 

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

J    J 

Friday,  John  H..  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Green,  James  M.  .  .  . 

Private 

Graber,  Adam  

Private 

Garland,  David  W. 

Private 

Gahagan,  Mordicai. 

Private 

Goodman,  Jos  

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Haslett   Jas 

Private 

Heckadorne,  H.  B.  . 

Private 

Hearn,  Jacob  

Private 

Hart,   Frederick.  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Hoffman,  John.  .  .  . 

Private 

Discharged     Nov.     15, 

Hawn,  Henry  

Private 

1862,  for  wounds  rec'd. 

at  Antietam,  Sept.   17, 

1862. 

Discharged      on      Sur 

Harvey,  Parker  C.  . 

Private 

geon's  Certificate  Dec. 

13,  1862. 

Hoffman,  Uriah  D. 

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Md.,    Sept.    17,    '62. 

Hood,  Henry 

Private 

Died  Nov.    10,   1862. 

Isenberg,  Nich  

Private 

Isenberg,  Sam'l.  V. 

Private 

Isenberg,  Geo.  W.  . 

Private 

Died        at       Maryland 
Hgts.  Md.,  Oct.  25,  '62. 

Knode,  Joshua  R.  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept  17,  '62. 

Kopelin,  Wm.  O.  .  . 

Private 

Knode,  Albert  A.  .  . 

Private 

Died  at  Maryland  Hts., 
Oct.  25,  '62. 

303 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remaiks. 

Kuhn,  David  

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Lytle,  Milton  S.  .  .  . 

Private 

Lincoln,  J.  George. 

Private 

Leffard,  John  R.  .  .  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam,. 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Leffard,  Enoch  I.  .  . 

Private 

Low,  John  A  

Private 

Myers,  Eli  H  

Private 

M'Coy,  Wm   R 

Private 

M'Pherran,  Alfred. 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam,. 
Sept.  17,  '62. 

M'Divett,  C.  James 

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

M'Coy,  John  S  

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam,. 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Parker,  David  H..  . 

Private 

Patton,  Jos  

Private 

Peterson,  Wm.  H.. 

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Robb,  Porter  A.  ... 

Private 

Robb,  Wm.  W  

Private 

Raugh,  Sellers  .... 

Private 

Reed   Chas   H 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam,. 

Sept.  17,  '62. 

Discharged     Mar.      22, 

Robb,  J.  Easton.  .  . 

Private 

'62    for   wounds   rec'd.. 

Antietam  Sept.  17,  '62. 

Reed,  Samuel  

Private 

Died   at    Fairfax    Sta.,. 
Jan.  17,  1863. 

Simpson,  Alex.  C.  .  . 

Private 

Snyder,  David  C.  .  . 

Private 

Snyder,  John  P.  ... 

Private 

Sprankle,  Jeremiah 

Private 

Sprankle,  George  .. 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam,. 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Spyker,  Daniel  .... 

Private 

Stewart,  John  G.  .  .  . 

Private 

Swope,  Jas.  C.  M.  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Stewart,  Jas  A 

Private 

White,  David  

Private 

White,  John  

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Whittaker,  Thos.  S. 

Private 

Wyland,  Geo  

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Williams,  John  H.. 

Private 

(Aug.  13) 

Discharged  Nov.  21/62,. 

Zeek,  Elias  A  

Private 

for    wounds    rec'd.    at 
Antietam      Sept.       17, 

1862. 

304 


COMPANY   D. 

Mustered  into  service  Aug.  i3th,  1862.  Mustered  out  May  18,  1863. 

(Exceptions  Indicated.) 


NAME. 


Jacob  Szink.  .  . 


Rank. 


Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 


Remarks. 


Capt. 


Christ  R.  Hostetter  Capt. 

Alex  W.  Marshall.  .  Capt. 

Thos.  E.  Campbell.  ist.    Lt. 

Peter  S.  Treese 2nd.  Lt. 

G.  W.  Hawksworth  2nd.  Lt. 

James  H.  Attick.  .  .  ist.  Sgt. 

Edwin   Hammond.  Sergt. 

Isaac  E.  Brown Sergt. 

William  Burley Sergt. 

James  C.  Treese.  .  .  Sergt. 

Edward  L.  Russ.  .  .  Sergt. 

David  A.  Burtnett.  Corp. 

George  A.  Burtram  Corp. 

Mordecai.McMahon  Corp. 

Alfred  Bomgardner  Corp. 

James  G.  Kerr Corp. 


(Aug.  14) 


(Aug.  14) 


(Aug.  14) 


(Aug.  14) 


Promoted   to    Lt.    Col. 

Aug.  16,  1862. 

Pro.   fr.    ist.    Lt.   Aug. 

1 6,  1862 — disch.    Mar. 

17,  1863,    for    wounds 
rec'd.      at      Antietam, 
Sept    17.  '62. 
Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17/62.  Promoted 
from     ist.     Lt.     March 
J7>  >63- 

Pr.  fr.  ist.  Sgt.  to  2nd. 
Lt.  Mar.  17,  '63,  and 
to  ist.  Lt.  Apr.  19, 
1863. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  '62 — Com. 
ist.  Lt.  Mar.  17,  '63. 
Discharged  on  Sur 
geon's  Certificate  Apr. 
!7,  '63- 

Pr.  fr.  Sergt.  to  ist 
Sergt.  Mar.  17,  '63  and 
to  2nd.  Lt.  Apr.  19,  '63. 
Promoted  from  Sergt. 
April  19,  1863. 

Promoted  from  Corpo 
ral   April    19,    '63. 
•  Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  '62 — pr.  from 
Corporal  March  19,  '63. 
Pro.  fr.  Priv.  to  Corp.  to 
Sgt.  Apr.  19. 
Discharged     Nov.     13, 
'6 2,  for  wounds  rec'd.  at 
Antietam  Sept.  17,  '62. 


Promoted  to   Corporal 
Aug.  25,  1862. 
Promoted   to   Corporal 
Nov.  16,  1862. 
Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.     17,     '62.       Pro 
moted  to  Corporal  Jan. 
21,  1862. 


305 


NAME. 

Date  of  Muster 
Raak-                      into  service. 

Remarks. 

William  Springer.  . 

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
Jan.  14,  1863. 

Morris  Davis  

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
April  29,  1863. 

John  M.  Dougherty 

Corp. 

Promoted  to   Corporal 
April  29,  1863. 

Robert  Try  

Corp. 

Dischgd.  on  Surg.  Cer 
tificate  Nov.    13,    '62. 

John  A.  Kelley.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Sept.   17,   1862. 

W.  A.  Brumbaugh. 

Mus. 

Augustus  Boyden.  . 

Mus. 

Aiken,  Stephen  .... 

Private 

Discharged    April     13, 
'63,   for  wounds  rec'd. 
at  Antietam  Sept.    17, 

1862. 

Boyer,  Albert  

Private 

Burley,  Levi  

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Blake,  Samuel  

Private 

Brumbaugh,    Jacob 

Private 

Blake,  Wilbur  E.  .  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Bowen,  Francis  

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Sept.  17.  1862. 

Baker,  John  

Private 

Brubaker,  Geo  

Private 

Dischgd.  on  Surg.  Cer. 
March    5th,     '63. 

Burley,  Emanuel.  . 

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Brown,  John  A.  ... 

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Md.,    Sept.    17,    '62. 

Cochran,  Robt  

Private 

Comey,  Jas.  W  

Private 

Died  at  Harper's  Ferry 
Jan.  21,  '63. 

Dasher,  John  

Private 

Davis,  Able  

Private 

Dischgd.  on  Surg.  Cer. 
Mar.    23,    1863. 

Davis,  John  E 

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Davis,  Leonard.  .  .  . 

Private 

Died  at  Acquia  Creek, 
Va.,   April   21,    1863. 

Evans,  Andrew.  .  .  . 

Private 

Finney,  Andrew  W. 

Private 

Died  Nov.   10.   1862. 

Green,  Samuel  

Private 

Glass,  John  R 

Private 

Gearhart,  Fred  W.  . 

Private 

Howell,  John  C.  .  .  . 

Private 

Higgins,  John  

Private 

20 

306 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Haney,  Patrick  Sr.  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Haney,  Patrick  Jr.  . 

Private 

Discharged     Jan.      25, 

Hoar,  Wm.  S  

Private 

'63,   for  wounds  rec'd. 
at  Antietam  Sept.    17, 

1862. 

Homan,  Thomas.  .  . 

Private 

Died   at    Fairfax    Sta., 
Jan.  15,  1863. 

Irvin,  Geo.  M  

Private 

Kissell,  John  G  

Private 

Keagey,  John  

Private 

Keresey,  John  

Private 

Lingenfelter,  Josiah 

Private 

Laub,  Wm.  A.  B..  . 

Private 

Long,  Samuel  A.  ... 

Private 

Madison,  John  

Private 

Myers,  William  H.  . 

Private 

Minehart,  Lewis.  .  . 

Private 

Miller,  Andrew  .... 

Private 

Myers,  Andrew. 

Private 

Myers,  Jos  

Private 

Marshall,  Win'd.  S. 

Private 

Miller,  Wm.  T  

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 

Markley,  Isaac  .... 

Private 

Sept      17,     1862. 

Mahon   John 

Private 

Not  on  muster  out  roll. 

M'Closkey,  David  A 

Private 

M'Closkey,  Geo.  A. 

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 

M'Laughlin,  Jos.  S. 

Private 

Md.,  Sept.  17,   1862. 

Killed   at    Chancellors- 

Osswalt,  David  W.  . 

Private 

ville,  May  3,  1863. 

Owens,  Matthew.  .  . 

Private 

Painter   Jacob  

Private 

Patton,  Edward.  .  . 

Private 

Parsons,  Chas.  A.  .  . 

Private 

Richmond,  S.  S.  .  .  . 

Private 

Rhinehart,  Rice  .  .  . 

Private 

Richmond,  Albert  E 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 

Sept.    17,      '62.        Dis 

Robertson,  Jos  

Private 

charged    on    Sur.    Cer, 

Apr.  23,  1863. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Sept.     17,     1862  —  Dis 

Rollin,  John  

Private 

charged    on    Sur.    Cer. 

Feb.  3.  1863. 

307 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service.                                Remarks. 

Rose,  John  

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Shaffer,  Jos  

Private 

Schlag,  Adolph  .... 

Private 

Sharier,  Philip  

Private 

Steel,  Samuel  

Private 

Stackhouse,    Henry 

Private 

Wounded  and  missing 

Stewart,    Andrew.  . 

Private                                     in   action    at   Chancel- 

lorsville,  May  3,    1863. 

Szink,  Henry  C.  .  .  . 

Private 

Stoner,  Chas.  A.  ... 

Private 

Died    Dec.    13,    1862. 

Urich,  John  

Private 

Walton,  John  

priVoT~                                      Wounded      at      Antie 
tam  Sept.    17,    1862. 

Woods,  Thomas.  .  . 

Private 

West,  William  

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 

Williamson,  S.  H..  . 

Private 

Md.  Sept.  17,  '62.    Dis 
charged  on  Surg.   Cer. 

Feb.  28,  '63. 

COMPANY  E. 

Mustered  into  service  Aug.   13,   1862.              Mustered  out  May  18,   1863. 

(Exceptions  Indicated.) 

NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service.                                Remarks. 

William  McGraw  .  . 

Capt.               (Aug.  1  6) 

Samuel  A.  Kephart 

ist.  Lt.             (Aug.  1  6) 

John  G.  Cain 

2nd.  Lt.             (Aug.  1  6)         Promoted  to  Adjutant 
:  Sept.  20,   1862. 

John  H.  Robertson 

2nd.Lt.             (Aug.  15)         Promoted      from      ist. 
Sergeant  Sept.  20,    62. 

John  Bryan 

ist.  sgt.    (Aug.  i5)  s<rr°2oedi8f62m  Sergt- 

William  Nosker.  .  .  . 

Sergt. 

Captured    at    Chancel- 
lorsville,   May  3,    1863. 

George  W.  Perkins  . 

Sergt. 

Williams  Rounds  .  . 

Sergt. 

James  Gardner.  ... 

Sergt. 

Promoted  from  Corpo 
ral     Sept.     20,     '62. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Peter  Stroup 

Corp. 

(Aug   iO         Sept.   17,   1862,  and  at 
Chancellorsville,  May  3, 

1863. 

James  Matthews  .  .  . 

Corp. 

308 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

William  McClure.  .  . 

Corp. 

Charles  Butler  

Corp 

Adam  Rough  

¥' 

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 

Sept.  26,  1862. 

George  S.  Beers.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
Sept.    16,    1862. 

Daniel  Deihl  

Corp. 

Promoted  to   Corporal 

Feb.  26,  1863. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

William  McGinnes. 

Corp. 

Sept.     17       1862—  Dis 
charged  on  Surg.   Cer. 

Feb.  25,  1863. 

Geo.  Hoopengarner 

Corp. 

Deserted  Sept.   16,  '62. 

John  Scullin  

Mus. 

Charles  H.  Suder.  . 

Mus. 

Benton,  Emanuel  M 

Private 

Buck,  William  

Private 

Absent,  sick  at  muster 
out. 

Bottorf,  David.  .  .  . 

Private 

Burtnet,  John  

Private 

Brindle,  Geo.  W.  .  . 

Private 

Butler,  David  

Private 

(Aug.  15) 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 

Benton   John 

Private 

Sept.  17,  '62  —  captured 

(Aug.  1  5) 

at  Chancellorsville, 

May  3,  1863. 

Beigle,  John  A  

Private 

(Aug.  15) 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Benton,  Jesse  L..  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  15) 

Sept.      17,      1862  —  dis 
charged    on    Sur.    Cer. 

Jan.    30,    1863. 

Baker,  Franklin  S.  . 

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Died  Sept.  30,  1862,  of 

wounds  received  at  An 

Burge,  Adam  

Private 

tietam  Sept.  17,  1862  — 

Bur.   in   Military   Asy 

lum    Cemetery,  '  D.    C. 

Carnell,  David 

Private 

Dunlap,  Essington. 

Private 

Dasher   James 

Private 

Dell,  Peter  

Private 

Dunn,  Patrick  

Private 

Dunlap,  John.  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Dively,  Gabriel.  .  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  15) 

Dodson,  Andrew.  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  5) 

Earlenbaugh,  A.  ... 

Private 

Gardner,  Robt  

Private 

' 

309 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Ginter    John  

Private 

Gesler,  Lewis  H..  .  . 

Private 

Gallagher,  John  .... 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.    April    22,     '63. 

Harklerode,  A.  H.. 

Private 

Harklerode,  David. 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.    17,    1862. 

Hanly,  David  

Private 

Heverly,  Wm.  P.  .  . 

Private 

Heverly,  William.  . 

Private 

Hoover,  Geo.  W..  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  20) 

Hale    Henry 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 

Cer.    Dec.    10,    1862. 

Kephart,  Jacob.  .  .  . 

Private 

Kough,  John  S  

Private 

Long    Daniel 

Private 

Leighty,  George  .  .  . 

Private 

Langham,  Solomon 

Private 

Leedom,  Levi  

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Lambright,  J  

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862.     Dis 

charged  on  Surg.   Cer. 

Jan.  30,  '63. 

Killed     at     Antietam, 

Sept.    17,    '62  —  bur.   in 

Lier,  John  

Private 

Nat'l    Cemetery,  grave 

No.    3634,    Penna   Sec 

tion. 

Millward,  Luke.  .  .  . 

Private 

Miller,  Stanley  

Private 

Died     at     Washington 

Mauk,  Geo.  W  

Private 

Jan.    23,    '63  —  bur.    in 
Military  Asylum  Ceme 

tery,   D.   C. 

M'Coy,  Dennis  

Private 

Noll,  Henry  S  

Private 

Osburn,  Wm.  R..  .  . 

Private 

Phagans,  James.  .  . 

Private 

Pressell,  Samuel  .  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  15) 

Rhodes,  John  

Private 

Roach,  Thomas.  .  .  . 

Private 

Deserted  Aug.   16,  '62. 

Stanley,  Joseph  B.. 

Private 

Absent  at  muster  out. 

Swisher,  Daniel.  .  .  . 

Private 

Strayer,  John 

Private 

Summers,  Geo  

Private 

Summers,  Wm  

Private 

Snyder,  George  Jr.  . 

Private 

Stiffler,  Sylvanus  L. 

Private 

310 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Smith,  David  

Private 

Shoff   David       .    .  . 

Private 

Snyder,  Geo.  Sr.  .  .  . 

Troxell,  Abraham.  . 
Wright,  Thomas.  .  . 

Private 

Private 
Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.  April   2,    1863. 
Died  at  Harper's  Ferry 
Nov.    9,     '62  —  bur.    in 
Nat'l.  Cem.  Winchester 
lot  25. 

Weyandt,  Samuel.  . 
Wheeler,  William.  . 

Private 
Private 

Wagoner,  John.  .  .  . 
Wilt,  Henry  H  

Private 
Private 

(Aug.  15) 

COMPANY  F. 

Mustered  into  service  Aug.   12,   1862.  Mustered  out  May  18,   1863 

(Exceptions  Indicated.) 


NAME. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service.                                Remarks. 

John  J.  Lawrence.  . 

Capt.              (Aug.  is)        Au"4  186°.    ^^ 

Pr.  fr.  ist.  Lt.  Aug.  16, 

Wm.  H.  Simpson.  . 

Capt. 

'62  —  wd.    at   Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Dischd.     Feb.     9,     '63, 

William  C.Wagoner 

ist.  Lt. 

for    wounds    rec'd.    at 

Antietam  Sept.  17,  '62. 

Pr.    fr.    ist.    Sergt.    to 

Franklin  H.  Lane.  . 

ist.  Lt. 

2nd.  Lt.  Aug.  16,  '62  — 

to  ist.  Lt.  Feb.  9,  1863. 

Pr.  from  Sergt.  to  ist. 

J.F.N.  Householder 

2nd.  Lt. 

Sergt.    Aug     16,    '62  — 
—  to   2nd.    Lt.   Feb.   9. 

1863. 

Albert  B.  Flood..  .. 

ist.  Sgt. 

Pr.    from    Sergt.    Feb. 
9,  1863, 

George  A.  Black.  .  . 

Sergt. 

Jas.  B.  Geissinger.  . 

Sergt. 

Valentine  Brown  .  . 

Sergt. 

David  Hazard  

Sergt. 

Promoted  from  private 
Feb.  9,  1863. 

John  G.  Corbin.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Thomas  Blake  

Corp. 

Wm.  J.  Hampton.  . 

Corp. 

Joseph  B.  Farrer.  .  . 

Corp. 

Wm.  Homan  

Corp. 

311 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Hampton  C.Watson 

Corp. 

Alrich    Paul           .  . 

Corp. 

John  H.  Boring.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

John  L.  Williams  .  . 

Mus. 

Barton,  Thomas.  .  . 

Private 

Boyes,  George  

Private 

Brown,  Jacob  

Private 

Brown,  Wm.  L  

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Bryan,  Charles.  .  .  . 

Private 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Bryant    Tames 

Private 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Bupp,  Solomon.  .  .  . 

Private 

Promoted      to      Sergt. 

Becker,  Joseph  M.  . 

Private 

Major  Aug.    16,    '62. 

Cannon,  John  

Private 

Carothers,  Charles. 

Private 

Corbin,  Charles.  .  .  . 

Private 

Cozzens,  Robert  .  .  . 

Private 

Cypher,  Thomas  .  .  . 

Private 

Cunningham,  Benj. 

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Sept.    17,    1862. 

Dering,  Valentine  .  . 

Private 

Fulton,  Alfred  

Private 

Friedley,  Wm  

Private 

Died   Nov.    9,    1862. 

Geist,  Andrew  

Private 

Graham,  William.  . 

Private 

Hall   James  

Private 

Harrier,  Moses  

Private 

Harvey,  Frank  .... 

Private 

Haugh,  Wm.  H..  .  . 

Private 

Captured    at    Chancel- 
lorsville   May   3,    1863. 

Heffner,  John,  2nd. 

Private 

Hudson,  William  C. 

Private 

Hazard,  John  

Private 

Hayes,  Thos.  L.  .  .  . 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.   Feb.   27,   '63. 

Heffner,  John,  ist.  . 

Private 

Died    at    Washington, 
D.  C.,  March  5th,   '63. 

Isenberg,  Samuel  .  . 

Private 

Died    at    Fairfax    Sta. 

Isenberg,  David  .  .  . 

Private 

Jan.     4,     '63  —  bur.     in 
Harmony     Burial 

Grounds,    D.    C. 

Kelly,  Wm.  T  

Private 

Kyler,  David  

Private 

Lane   William       .  . 

Private 

312 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 

into  service. 

Remarks. 

Lewis,  David  D.  .  .  . 

Private 

Lewis,  John  D  

Private 

Captured    at    Chancel- 

Mitchell,  Jas.  A.  ... 

Private 

lorsville,  May  3,   1863. 

Moore,  James.  .  .  . 

Private 

Moore,  John  O  

Private 

Moore,  Joseph.  . 

Private 

Morgan,  Jacob  

Private 

Myers,  William.  .  .  . 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 

Cer.    Mar.    23,    1863. 

M'Clure,  Andrew  A. 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 

Cer.    Mar.    26,    1863. 

Killed      at      Antietam 

M'Cracken,  Jos.  .  .  . 

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862  —  bur. 

Nat.    Cem.,    No.    3608, 

Penna  Section. 

Neff,  William  

Private 

Owens,  Richards.  .  . 

Private 

Captured    at    Chancel- 

Price,  Joshua  E..  .  . 

Private 

lorsville,  May  3,    1863. 

Protzman,  Martin  L 

Private 

Reed,  William  E.  .  . 

Private 

Richards,  Thos.  J.  . 

Private 

Riland,  Alfred  A.  .  . 

Private 

Stall,  Thomas  

Private 

Snyder,  J.  Howard. 

Private 

Saxton,  Henry  C.  .  . 

Private 

Shearer,  Calvin  B.. 

Private 

Shoemaker,  H.  F..  . 

Private 

Shriner,  John 

Private 

Shriner,  Thomas  .  .  . 

Private 

States,  William.  .  .  . 

Private 

Strickler,  Wm.  R..  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Syling,  Lewis  

Private 

Switzer,  Elias  H  .  .  . 

Private 

Discharged  Jan.  5,  '63, 
for    wounds    rec'd     at 

Antietam  Sept.  17,  '62. 

Swoope,  David.  .  .  . 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg 

Cer.  Feb.  3,   1863. 

Discharged    March     8, 

Shorthill,  David  R. 

Private 

'63,   for  wounds    rec'd 

at  Antietam,  Sept    17 

1862. 

Snyder,  Oliver  W.  . 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 

Trout,  Brinkley  

Private 

Cer.    April    i,    1863. 

Tyhurst,  Alfred  

Private 

313 


.    NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Wagoner,  Geo.  J.  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  14) 

Watkins,  Nathaniel 

Private 

Witter,  Josiah  

Private 

Wright,  Thomas..  . 

Private 

West,  Allen  

Private 

Transferred     to     i4th. 

ixegi.    inu.    vois.    Uct. 

ist,  1862. 

Walker,  William  C. 

Private 

Killed      at      Antietam 

Sept.    17,    1862. 

Walheater,  John  H. 

Private 

Died    at    Fairfax    Sta. 
Dec.   3oth,    1862. 

Walker,  Robt.  D.  .  . 

Private 

Died    at    Washington, 

D.    C.,    May    ist,    '62. 

Young,  John  B  

Private 

Young,  Thomas  .  .  . 

Private 

COMPANY  G. 

Mustered  into  Service  Aug.    13,   1862.  Mustered  out  May  18,   1863 
(Exceptions  indicated.) 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

John  M'Keage  

Capt. 

Samuel  A.  Andrews 

ist.  Lt. 

Thos.  M'Camant.  .  .         2nd.  Lt. 

Augustus  Baton.  .  .       ist.  Sergt. 

Promoted   from   Sergt. 
Jan.  i,  1863. 

John  Swires  I        Sergt. 

George  H.  Vaughn.           Sergt. 

John  Hellwig  

Sergt. 

James  Rodgers.  .  .  .           Sergt. 

Promoted  from  Corpo 
ral  Mar.   i,   1863. 

Discharged     Feb.      13, 

David  E.  M'Cahan.           Sergt. 

1863,  for  wounds  rec'd 

at  Antietam  Sept.    17, 

1862. 

James  R.  Robison. 

Corp. 

Moses  Garland  

Corp. 

Joseph  Carroll  Corp. 

Thomas  M.  Barr.  .  .           Corp. 

Horace  Kemp,  

Corp. 

Promoted  to   Corporal 
Feb.  17,  !863. 

Alexander  Boggs.  .           Corp. 

John  G.  Christian.  .            Corp. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Sept.    17,    1862. 

Reese  Williams.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Promoted  to    Corporal 
Mar.  26,   1863. 

314 


NAME. 


Rank. 


Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 


Remarks. 


James  H.  Gibboney          Corp. 


John  Miller  

Mus. 

Thomas  Lloyd  

Mus. 

Andrews,  David.  .  . 

Private 

Barr,  Theodore.  .  .  . 

Private 

Burns,  Thomas.  .  .  . 

Private 

Black,  David  M.  .  .  . 

Private 

Bellinger,  Henry  L. 

Private 

Buterbaugh,  Sam'l. 

Private 

Beamer,  Albert.  .  .  . 

Private 

Cameron,  Wm.  S..  . 

Private 

Canan,  William  H.. 

Private 

Closson,  Josiah  S.  .  . 

Private 

Curtis,  George  R.  .  . 

Private 

Christy,  Livingston 

Private     • 

Clarke,  Robert  .... 

Private 

Charles,  Thomas.  .  . 

Private 

David,  John  

Private 

Dunn,  James  

Private 

Dannals,  Chas.  R..  . 

Private 

Dasher,  Samuel  D.  . 

Private 

Fulton,  Samuel  A.  . 

Private 

Gibboney,  Benj.  F. 

Private 

Holler,  James  M..  . 

Private 

Hewit,  Henry  

Private 

Hicks,  Philemon  N. 

Private 

Hewit,  William.  .  .  . 

Private 

Hammers,  James  J. 

Private 

Hall,  John.. 

Private 

Irvine,  Alfred  C.  .  .  . 

Private 

Isett,  Aaron  B  

Private 

Irvine,  Henry  L..  .  . 

Private 

Jones,  Thaddeus.  .  . 

Private 

Johnston,  Franklin 

Private 

Johnston,  James  R. 

Private 

Killed      at      Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862 — bur.  in 
Nat.    Cem.,    No.    3664, 
!  Penna.  Section. 


Captured    at    Chancel- 
lorsville,  May  3,   1863. 


Discharged  Dec.  8,  '62, 
for  wounds  rec'd  at 
Antietam,  Sept.  17, 
1862. 


Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862.  Dis 
charged  on  Surg.  Cer. 
Dec.  24,  1862. 


Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 


Deserted  Aug.  17,  1862. 


Promoted  to  Com.  Sgt. 
Mar.    15,    1863. 


Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 


315 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Dischgd.    Dec.  8,  1862 

Johnson,  Dav.  R.  P. 

Private 

for  wounds  received  at 

Antietam  Sept.  17,  '62. 

London,  George  W. 

Private 

London,  James  G.  . 

Private 

Leet,  Callohan,  M.. 

Private 

Lovett,  John  

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.    Feb.    3,     1863. 

Died  at  Frederick,  Md. 

Long,  James  

Private 

Feb.  5,  '63  —  bur.  in  Mt. 
Olivet  Cemetery. 

Miller,  Thomas  

Private 

Maus,  John  H  

Private 

Metzler,  Jos.  F  

Private 

Martin,  William.  .  . 

Private 

Martin,  Henry  

Private 

Morrow,  Jas  

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

M'Rea,  William  J.. 

Private 

M'Kee,  Thomas  G.  . 

Private 

M'Cord,  Henry.  .  .  . 

Private    • 

M'Ginnis,  James.  .  . 

Private 

M'Clelland,  Thos.  .  . 

Private 

M'Clelland,  Hugh  T 

Private 

M'Clelland,  Wm.  H. 

Private 

M'Clelland,  Adol..  . 

Private 

Dischgd.  on  Surg.  Cer. 
Oct.   n,   1862. 

Ounkest,  Martin.  .  . 

Private 

Ounkest,  Daniel.  .  . 

Private 

Price,  Joseph  C.  .  .  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Phillips,  Benj.  F.  .  . 

Private 

Phillips,  David  Jr.  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Prounkard,  J.  E..  .  . 

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862  —  Dis 
charged  on   Surg.    Cer. 

Feb.    n,    1863. 

It 

Died  at  Harper's  Ferry 

Piper,  Jos.  H  

Private 

Oct.    28,    1862,    buried 
in     Nat.     Cem.     Win 

chester,    lot    25. 

Robison,  Albert.  .  . 

Private 

Ruggles,  Benj.  F.  .  . 

Private 

Reed,  Jos.  H 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Reffner,  Jos  

Private 

Russ,  Calvin  

Private 

Died  Sept.    26,    '62,   of 

Riddle,  James  D.  .  . 

Private 

wounds    rec'd     at   An 

tietam  Sept.   17,    1862. 

316 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service 

Remarks. 

Snyder,  Wm.  H.  .  .  . 

Private 

Stuff,  Valentine  

Private 

Scott   James  P 

Private 

Sellers,  David  M..  . 

Private 

Sanders,  John  

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Sharar  H.  Bascom. 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Tippery,    Mayberry 

Private 

Taylor,  Henry  C.  .  . 

Private 

Taylor,  Samuel.  .  .  . 

Private 

Absent  in  Hospital  at 
muster  out. 

Thompson,  R.  D.  .  . 

Private 

Williams,  David  P. 

Private 

COMPANY   H. 

Mustered  into  service  Aug.   14,   1862.  Mustered  out  May  18,   1863, 

(Exceptions  indicated.) 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service 

Remarks. 

Henry  H.  Gregg.  .  . 

Capt. 

(Aug.  1  6) 

John  Flenner  

ist.  Lt. 

(Aug   1  6) 

Samuel  F.  Stewart. 

2nd.  Lt. 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Resigned  Jan.  24,  1863. 

James  T.  Foster.  .  . 

2nd.  Lt. 

Promoted   from   Sergt. 
Feb.  24,  1863. 

George  F.  Painter.  . 

ist.  Sgt. 

Promoted   from   Sergt. 
March  i,  1863. 

Jesse  E.  March.  .  .  . 

Sergt. 

Abner  P.  Lane  

Sergt. 

Promoted  from  Corpo 
ral  March  i,   1863. 

Wm.  L.  DeGrant.  . 

Sergt. 

Promoted  from  Corpo 
ral    Mar.    i,    1863. 

Wm.  H.  Flenner.  .  . 

Sergt. 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 

John  W.  Lytle  

Sergt. 

Sept.     17,     1862—  Dis 
charged  on  Surg.   Cer. 

Feb.  21,  1863. 

Robert  Wilson  .... 

Corp. 

William  M.  Davis.  . 

Corp. 

Henry  C.  Logan  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
Sept.  21,  1862. 

Lewis  Gahagan  .... 

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
October  21,  '62. 

David  Shaffer  

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
Nov.  21,  1862. 

317 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Joseph  Cox  

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
Mar.  i,  1862. 

Allison  H  .  Crum  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
Mar.  ist,  1863. 

James  A.  Couch.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Promoted   to    Corporal 
Mar.  i,  1863. 

Samuel  Hetrick.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Dischgd.  on  Surg.  Cer. 
Feb.  14,  1863. 

Killed      at      Antietam 

Peter  Carton  

Corp. 

Sept.     17,     '62  —  buried 
in     Nat.     Cem.,     grave 

No.  3746  Penna.  Sec. 

Sylvanus  W.  Gettys 

Mus. 

Taylor,  Myton  

Mus. 

Ayers,  Wesley  C.  .  .  . 

Private 

Aurand,  John  M..  .  . 

Private 

Ayres,  Jeremiah  L. 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg  . 
Cer.     Feb.     8,     1863. 

Buchanan,  Robt.  J. 

Private 

Bell,  Alexander.  .  .  . 

Private 

Bell,  Anderson  .... 

Private 

Bell,  Jas.  A  

Private 

Bailey,  Samuel  C.  .  . 

Private 

Absent  sick  at  muster 
out. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Boblitz,  Eugene.  .  . 

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862  —  Dis 
charged  on  Surg.   Cer. 

Dec.  9,  1862. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Brindle,  Cyrus  

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862—  Dis 
charged  on   Surg.    Cer. 

Nov.  21,  1862. 

Baird,  David  

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg, 
Cer.    Dec.    10,    '62. 

Berkstresser,  J.  H.. 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.   Dec.    10,    '62. 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 

Burkholder,  Geo.  .  . 

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862  —  Dis 
charged  on   Surg.    Cer. 

Jan.  13,  1863. 

Grouse,  Valentine.  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.   17,   1862. 

Davis,  James  H.  .  .  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Decker    Levi 

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862  —  Dis 

charged  on  Surg.   Cer. 

. 

Dec.  13,  1862. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Decker,  John  W..  .  . 

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862—  Dis 
charged  on  Surg.    Cer. 

Mar.  16,  '63. 

318 


Date  of  Muster 

NAM/E 

Rank. 

into  service. 

Remarks. 

Killed      at      Antietam 

Dierfield,  James  H. 

Private 

Sept.    17,    '62  —  bur.    in 
Nat.    Cem.,    grave   No. 

3610    Penna.     Section. 

Eckley,  Jacob  A.  .  . 

Private 

Fink,  Solomon  

Private 

Died  April  22,   1863 

Absent,  sick  at  muster 

Gorsuch,  Nathan  H. 

Private 

out. 

Garner,  Michael  .  .  . 

Private 

Discharged      on      Sur 

Gregg,  David  F.  .  .  . 

Private 

geon   Cer.   Apr.    2,    '63. 

Heck,  Levi  G  

Private 

Hammond,  Martin  . 

Private 

Hetrick,  John  .  . 

Private 

Harker,  Andrew.  .  . 

Private 

Howard,  Thos.  H.. 

Private 

Harris,  William.  .  .  . 

Private 

Hetrick,  Samuel  S.  . 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.    Nov.    21,    1862. 

Harper,  Jonathan  L, 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.    Dec.    10,    1862. 

Hunter,  Robt.  L.  .  . 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.  Apr.   i,   1863. 

Hertle,  John  

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.    Apr.    22,    1863. 

Hoover,  Jos.  W.  .  .  . 

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Killed     at     Antietam, 

Hess,  Samuel  

Private 

Sept.    17,    '62-  —  bur.    in 
Nat.    Cem.,    grave   No. 

3609,    Penna.    Section. 

Hight,  Jackson.  .  .  . 

Private 

Deserted  Nov.  14,  1862. 

Johnson,  David  H. 

Private 

Knode,  Peter  

Private 

Kenyon,  Alfred  W. 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Keefer,  John  

Private 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Long,  Elijah  

Private 

Miller,  Abijah  B..  .  . 

Private 

Miller,  Peter  R  

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Morrison,  John  B.. 

Private 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Killed     at     Antietam, 

M'Carthy,  John  S.  . 

Private 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

O'Donnell,  Const'e. 

Private 

O'Donnell,   Michael 

Private 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Pardoner,   Henry.  . 

Private 

319 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service                                Remarks. 

Piper,  Martin  M..  .  . 

Private 

Patterson,  John  M. 

Private 

Parker,  William  J.  . 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.   Mar.    15,    '63. 

Quarry,  John  P.  ... 

Private 

Rorabaugh,   Martin 

Private 

Rudy,  Eminger  S.  . 

Private 

Discharged  on  Surg. 
Cer.  Feb.  3,  1863. 

Sloan,  James  D..  .  . 

Private 

Slack,  John  R 

Private 

Silknitter,  Solomon 

Private 

Shawley,  David.  .  .  . 

Private 

Spangler,  Jerry.  .  .  . 

Private 

Steel,  Jacob  

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Snyder,  James  G.  .  . 

Private 

Sept.      17,     1862  —  Dis 
charged  on   Surg.   Cer. 

Dec.  5,  1862. 

Shawley,  Daniel  .  .  . 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.  Nov.   29,   '62. 

Spanogle,  George  B. 

Private 

Discharged  on  Surg. 
Cer.  Dec.  10,  '62. 

Wilson,  Henry  

Private 

Wingate,  Wm.  B.  .  . 

Private 

Wingate,  Alex.  B.. 

Private 

Waldsmith,  Jno.  W 

Private 

Wilson,  John  

Private 

COMPANY  I. 

Mustered  into  service  Aug.   13,   1862.              Mustered  out  May  18,   1863. 

(Exceptions  indicated.) 

NAME. 

,,      ,                    Date  of  Muster 
Kank-                      into  service 

Remarks. 

Wm.  F.  Thomas.  .  . 

Capt. 

George  Thomas.  .  .  . 

ist.  Lt. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

John  D.  Fee  

2nd.  Lt. 

William  Bodley  

ist.    Sgt. 

Robert  H.  Myers.  .  . 

Sergt. 

David  P.  Kinkead 

Private 

William  Pope  

Sergt. 

Promoted  from  Private 
Jan.  i,  '63. 

Geo.  W.  Hall  

Sergt. 

Promoted  from  Private 
April  10,  '63. 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 

Thomas  L.  Hall.  .  .  . 

Sergt. 

Md.,     Sept.     17,     '62— 
Discharged     on     Surg. 

Cer.   Apr.    10,   '63. 

320 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Died    at    Huntingdon, 

Alfred  McAllister.. 

Sergt. 

Pa.,   Oct.    25,    1862,   of 
vounds  received  at  An- 

;ietam,    Sept.    17,    '62. 

John  H.  Sower.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

John  D.  Coder  .... 

Corp. 

D.  Porter  Couch.  .  . 

Corp. 

^romoted   to   Corporal 
"an.  i,  1863. 

Samuel  Houck 

Corp 

Dromoted  to   Corporal 

w    ¥' 

"an.  i,  1863. 

George  A.  Mitchell  . 

Corp. 

James  B.  Harris.  .  . 

Corp. 

3romoted   to   Corporal 
March  20,  1863. 

Daniel  Kauffman  .  . 

Corp. 

r'romoted  to   Corporal 
April  4,  1863. 

Andrew  Harbison.  . 

Corp. 

Promoted   to   Corporal 
April  10,  1863. 

Wm.  A.  Keister.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.  March  20,  1863. 

Isaiah  Foster 

Corp. 

Discharged     on     Surg. 

Cer.  April  4,  1863. 

Killed     at     Antietam, 

Sept.  17,  1862  —  buried 

Edward  H.Wirt.  .  . 

Corp. 

in  National  Cemetery, 

grave  No.  3972,  Penna. 

Section. 

James  H.  Lightner. 

Mus. 

Robison,  Gill 

Mus. 

Absent  at  muster  out. 

Allison,  Samuel  S  .  . 

Private 

Anderson,  W. 

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 

Cer.  Feb.  3,   1863. 

Baker,  Reuben  T  .  . 

Private 

Bradley,  Thomas  .  . 

Private 

Erode,  Abraham.  .  . 

Private 

Baker,  F.Alfred.  .  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Birge,  Wm.  H  

Private 

Died  at  Harper's  Ferry 
Nov.  6,  1862. 

Barnet,  David  

Private 

Deserted  Dec.  31,  1862. 

Corbin,  Benjamin  F. 

Private 

Coder,  Sam'l.  C.  .  .  . 

Private 

Clark,  Thomas  A... 

Private 

Corbin,  Henry  L.  .  . 

Private 

Coder,  Simon      

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.    Dec.    9,     1862.    • 

Killed     at     Antietam, 

Md.,    Sept.     17,     '62  — 

Clark,  Thomas  H... 

Private 

buried    in    Nat.    Cem., 

grave    3784,     Penna. 

Section. 

321 


NAME. 


Rank. 


Date  of  Muster 
into  Service. 


Corbin,  William  W. 
Deviney,  David  A. . 
David,  Benjamin.  . 


Private 
Private 


(Aug.  1 6) 


Guardlock,    Conrad         Private  (Aug.  16) 


Gray,  Daniel 

Hoffman,  Jas.  L. .  . 

Hawn,  Merits 

Heffright,  Martin .  . 
Harvey,  John  F. .  .  . 

Hall,  Albert 

Hoover,  Robt 

Hanawalt,  Wm.  H. 
Houck,  William... 
Howard,  John 

Householder,  G.  W. 


Hays,  William  M. 


Harken,  Sam'l  B.. 


Jamison,   Benjamin 

Martin,  William .  .  . 
Miller,  Frederick.  .  . 

Mick,  Solomon .... 

M'Laughlin,  W.  H. 

Nee,  Henry 

Powell,  Henry  H. .  . 

Ready,  John 

Roupe,  Theodore .  . 
Roupe,  William .  .  . 
21 


Remarks. 

Killed  at  Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Died  at  Pleasant  Val 
ley,  Md.,  Oct.  29,  1862. 
Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862.  Dis 
charged  on  Surg.  Cer. 


Dec.  9,  1862. 

Private 

Private 

Private 

Private 

Private 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.   17,   1862. 

Private 

Private 

Private 

Private 

Died    Sept.     18,     1862, 

Private 

(Aue   1  6)           of    Bounds     rec'd      at 
Antietam  Sept.  17,  '62. 

Died  Oct.  31   at  Fred 

erick,   Md.,   of  wounds 

Private 

rec'd       at      Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  '62. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Private 

Sept.       17,       '62  —  and 
died  of  his  wounds  at 

Coffee  Run,   Pa.,  Nov. 

16,  '62. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Private 

Sept.  17,  1862  —  absent 
in  hospital    at    muster 

out. 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862  —  Dis 
charged  on  Surg.   Cer. 

Dec.  15,  1862. 

Private 

Private 

Private 

Private 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Private 

322 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Ripple,  George  .... 

Private 

Steel,  William  W.  .  . 

Private 

Sankey,  Thomas  J. 

Private 

Seebeck,  John  

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Smith,    Christopher 

Private 

Shannon,  Patrick.  . 

Private 

Scott   John  W  

Private 

Killed   at   Chancellors- 
ville,  May    3,     1863. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Shaffer   Isaiah 

Private 

Sept.       17,       '62  —  Dis 

charged  on  Surg.   Cer» 

Feb.  19,  1863. 

Killed      at      Antietam 

Snyder,  Joseph.  .  .  . 

Private 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Wolfkill,  Daniel  D. 

Private 

Woomer,  Isaac  .... 

Private 

Warfel,  Adam  

Private 

Warfel,  Henry  C.  .  . 

Private 

COMPANY  K. 

Mustered  into  service  Aug.   14,   1862.  Mustered  out  May  18,   1863. 

(Exceptions  Indicated.) 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service 

Remarks. 

Joseph  W.  Gardner 

Capt. 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Edw.  R.  Dunegan.  . 

ist.  Lt. 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Daniel  J  Traves.  .  .  . 

and.  Lt. 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Henry  B   Huff 

i  st.  Sgt. 

Promoted  from  Private 

Aug.  16,  1862. 

Joseph  H.  Bryan.  . 

Sergt. 

William  Graw  

Sergt. 

Hugh  G.  Krise  

Sergt. 

(Aug.  1  6) 

John  Kahoe  

Sergt. 

(Aug.  13) 

William  J.  Bradley 

Corp. 

Frank  Beatty 

Corp. 

George  W.  Russell  . 

Jrf 

Corp. 

John  Commerford  . 

Corp. 

Pr.  to  Corp.  Aug.  16  — 
wd.  at  Antietam  Sept. 

17,  1862. 

Britten  E.  Cluck.  .  . 

Corp. 

Henry  M.  Shots.  .  .  . 

Corp. 

Pr.   to  Corp.  Aug.    16. 

John  A.  M'Intyre.  . 

Corp. 

'62  —  capt'd     at    Chan- 
cellorsville  May  3,  '63, 

Bernard  J.M'Feeley 

Corp. 

(Aug.  1  6) 

323 


Date  of  Muster 

NAME. 

Rank. 

into  service 

Remarks. 

Caleb  Tipton  

Mus. 

Promoted  to  Musician 
Aug.  16,  1862. 

Akers,  Wilson  L.  .  .  . 

Private 

Able,  John  H  

Private 

Arbel,  Thomas  G.  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Beatty,  Jacob  

Private 

Burkheimer,   M.  .  .  . 

Private 

Brunt,  William.  .  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Bender,  Simon  .... 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.   17,   1862. 

Bierman,  Fredk..  .  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Beal  John  S  

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862  —  Dis 

charged  on  Surg.    Cer. 

Feb.  9,  1863. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Beal,  William  

Private 

Sept.     17,     1862  —  Dis 
charged  on  Surg.    Cer. 

Mar.  7,  1863. 

Bell,  Joseph  H  

Private 

Discharged     on     Surg. 
Cer.    Feb.    23,    1863. 

Bender  James   .... 

Private 

fAue~   1  6") 

Discharged     on     Surg. 

\                G>  '                ) 

Cer.  Feb.  23,  1863. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Sept.    17,    '62  —  died   of 

Boartman,  A.  H..  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

his  wounds  at   Harris- 
burg  Oct.  13,  '62  —  bur. 

in  Mount  Kalmia  Cem 

etery. 

Cluck   Jacob    .... 

Private 

Collier,  Elias  B  

Private 

Cook,  Henry  H  

Private 

Crook,  Peter  

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Callaghan,    Andrew 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Conway,  John  A.  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Cratin,  Joshua  

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Killed     at     Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Dillon,  Charles  

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Sept.  17,  1862  —  absent 
in    hospital    at    muster 

out. 

Donahue,  Patrick.  . 

Private 

Ehrnfelt,  Jacob  M.. 

Private 

Edmonson,Sam'l  B. 

Private 

Elder,  Henry  R  

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Engles,  Robt.  P.  ... 
Finney,   Francis  .  .  . 

Private 
Private 

Died    at    Washington, 
April  28,  1863. 

Farrell,  James  

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Grey,  Geo.  W  

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

324 


NAME. 

Rank. 

Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 

Remarks. 

Gates,  Henry  A..  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Hoffman,  Frederick 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Hall,  Edmund  

Private 

Hicks,  Josiah  D.... 

Private 

Hobart,  Earth'  w.  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Inlow    Francis 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Jones,  George  W.  .  . 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

Kearney,  Patrick  F. 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

King,  James  

Private 

(Aug.  i  6) 

Lee,  Martin  

Private 

London,  Geo.  M..  .  . 

Private 

Died  at  Harper's  Ferry 
Dec.  25,  1862. 

Matthews,  John  .  .  . 

Private 

Killed      at      Antietam 

Myers,  William.  .  .  . 

Private 

Sept.  17,  '62. 

Mauer,  Joseph  

Private 

Mabus,  Leonard.  .  . 

Private 

Died     near     Maryland 
Heights   Oct.    5,    1862. 

M'Lune,  Geo  

Private 

M'  Mullen,  John  E.. 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

M'Cleary.  Samuel.  . 

Ptivate 

(Aug.  16) 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.  17,  1862. 

M'Gough,  Chas.  .  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

M'Gough,  Silas  A.  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

M'Guire,  Hiram.  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Wounded  at  Antietam 
Sept.   17,   1862. 

Died  Oct.   17,   1862,  of 

M'Dermitt,  M.  A.   . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

wounds   rec'd     at    An 

tietam   Sept    17,    1862. 

Died  Oct.   18,   1862,  of 

M'Dermitt,  Louis  C 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

wounds    rec'd     at    An 
tietam  Sept.   17,   1862. 

Noel,  Michael  J..  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Orr   Aaron  F 

Private 

Rodamon,  John.  .  . 

Private 

Rhodes   Jacob 

Private 

Wounded  at  Antietam 

Rhodes,  Abraham. 

Private 

Sept.  17,  1862. 

Rhodes,  Isaac  

Private 

Ramaley,  Wm.  R.  . 

Private 

Robinson,  James  H 

Private 

Reinhart,  Joseph. 

Private 

Richard,  George  .  . 

Private 

(Aug.  1  6) 

Speilman,  Wm.  P. 

Private 

String,  William.  .  . 

Private 

325 


NAME. 


Rank. 


Date  of  Muster 
into  service. 


Remarks. 


Sueger,  Hugh Private 

Smith,  Robert Private 

Shafer,  Jacob Private 

Tro ught,    Frederick  Private 

Tierney,  Francis  P.  Private 

Weakfield,  Thomas  Private 


Ward,  Frederick  C.         Private 


Wright,  William  L.         Private 
Yerger,  Henry Private 


(Aug.  1  6) 
(Aug.  1  6) 


Wounded  at  Antietam 

SePt"  I7'  l862—  absent 
in  hospital  at  muster 
out. 


Died    Sept.     19,     1862, 

of    wounds     rec'd      at 

Antietam  Sept.  17,  '62 

—  bur.    in    Nat.    Cem., 

grave  No.  3749,  Penna. 

Section. 

Deserted  Aug.  16,  1862. 


THE  BLUE  AND  THE  GRAY 

BY  COLONEL  PRENTISS  INGRAHAM 

* 

(Extracts  from  his  Memorial  Day  Poem.) 


From  Southern  vales,  and  Northern  hills, 

Where  cotton  grows,  or  nods  the  pine, 
Where  hums  the  wheel  of  busy  toil, 

Or  rice  swamps   stretch,  or  mosses  twine, 
Swung,    from   the   hearth-stone  to  the  field, 

The  "  Lads  in  Blue  "  and  "  Boys  in  Gray  " ; 
Rushed  where  gathering  thousands  formed 

In  battle's   dread  and  stern   array. 

#>(:###*** 

Proud   steeds  were  prancing  o'er  the  plain, 
Drums    beat,    swords    clashed    on    swords,    and    life-blood    freely    gushed. 

The  air  was  filled  with  leaden  rain; 
"  On  !  comrades,  on  !  "  the  ringing  cry, 

Men   bravely   fight — men  bravely   die, 

*****>!;>!<* 

Defiant   cries   along  the  line, 

In   answer  to   the   wild   hurrah, — 
How  greedy   Death  pours   out   life's   wine, 

The  richest  vintage  earth  e'er   saw. 

High  o'er  the  thunder-storm  of  war  proud  banners  wave : 
Fierce  speeds  the  deadly  hail,  and  glory  gilds  the  grave. 

How    bitter    the    strife, 

That  maddens  each  life, 

Where  brave  men   ne'er   quail, 

And  nerves  never  fail. 
Honor,  and  glory,  and  Country  to  save. 


There,   "  Stars   and   Bar "   surge  grimly  back, 

Here,   "  Stars   and   Stripes "   are  waving   fair 
Anguish   rests  on   yon  gory  track, — 

Here,    strains    of    music   fill    the    air. 
Ring  loud  the  bells  !  the  work  is  done. 

Ring  loud  !   and  from  the  field  of  war 
Flash    the    glad   news — the    battle's    won — 

To   every   hamlet  near   and   far, 
326 


327 

And    so,   with   quick,   electric   thrill 

Throbbed  fast  the  news  o'er  pulsing  wires, 

And  grief  seemed  swallowed  up,  and  lost, 
When  joy-bells  rang  from  all  the  spires. 


But   comrades !    when  the   bells   are  mute, 

And    reason    conies,    and    feeling    flow, 
Ah  me  !   we  hear  between  the  lulls, 

The  separate  wail  of  every  woe. 
And   tho'   the    end   may   trebly   pay, 

And  Fate  may  count  it  little  cost, 
'Tis  cruel   comfort  yet,   I   trow, 

To  Rachel  weeping  o'er  her  lost. 
To   North  and   South  the   message  ran, 

And   East  and   West   was   onward   borne, 
And  many  heads  were  high  in  pride, 

And    many   too,    were   bowed    to   mourn. 
For  the  spirit  of  War   rode  abroad  o'er  the  plain, 

And  brother  met  brother  to  clasp  hands  o'er  the  slain; 
The  faint  groans  of  the  dying  were  mingled  with  prayer, 

And  the  shouts  of  the  victor  with  shrieks  of  despair. 
Now  years  have  flown,  and  Peace  has  come; 

No  longer    hostile  banners  wave : 
Yet  hearts  must  turn  to   dust  again, 

Ere    we   forget   our    fallen   brave. 
And  time  has  touched  the  grieving  soul, 

Who  mourned   the   ones  that  here  had  bled: 
And   North  and   South  hold  kindred  ties, 

The  Nation,  and  the  Nation's  dead! 
Dread    silence   of   death    is    on    valley   and   hill 

The  voices  of  victor  and  vanquished  are  still, 
Long  years  have     gone  by  since  the  armies  were  seen, 

The  soldiers  are  sleeping — their  graves  now  are  green. 
The  "  Banner  of  Stars  "   shakes  its   folds  to  the  breeze, 

Holds  dominion  on  land — floats  over  the  seas  : 


APPENDIX 


A  NARRATIVE 

OF    IMPORTANT    EVENTS 

OF  THE  WAR 

(IN  THE  ORDER  OF  THEIR  OCCURRENCE) 


THE    FIRING   ON    THE    FLAG    AT 
FORT    SUMTER,    APRIL    12,    1861 


THE  SURRENDER  (LEE  TO  GRANT),  AT 
APPOMATTOX,  APRIL  9,  1865,  AND  GEN. 
JOHNSON  TO  GEN.  SHERMAN,  APRIL  29,  1865 


AND    THE 


CONFEDERATE     ARMY      PAROLED 
AND  DISBANDED,  APRIL  29,  1865 


APPENDIX. 


The  attempt  of  South  Carolina  to  secede  from  the  Union  was  sup 
pressed  by  President  Jackson,  in  1832 ;  but  it  was  only  delayed  for  a  ripe 
opportunity,  and  this  seemingly  presented  itself  in  the  election  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  to  the  Presidency  on  Nov.  6th,  1860,  the  news  of  which  was 
received  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  with  ''  cheers  for  a  Southern  Confederacy 
on  Nov.  7th,"  followed  by  an  attempt  to  seize  the  arms  in  Fort  Moultrie 
on  Nov.  gth,  and  the  resignation  of  the  Senators  from  South  Carolina 
on  Nov.  nth.  The  Georgia  Legislature  voted  $1,000,000  to  arm  the  State, 
Nov.  18,  a  great  Secession  meeting  was  held  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Dec. 
ist,  Howell  Cobb,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  resigned  from  the  Cabinet, 
arm1  Louisiana  voted  $500,000  to  arm  the  State  on  Dec.  loth,  South  Caro 
lina  unanimously  adopted  a  Secession  ordinance  in  Convention  Dec.  2Oth, 
and  refused  to  make  any  promises  to  President  Buchanan  to  respect  the 
Federal  laws. 

Major  Anderson,  a  brave  and  loyal  United  States  officer  left  Fort 
Moultrie  and  took  possession  of  Fort  Sumter  with  in  men  on  Dec.  26th, 
and  South  Carolina  seized  Government  property  in  Charleston,  and  took 
possession  of  Castle  Pinckney  and  Fort  Moultrie  on  Dec.  28th. 

John  B.  Floyd,  Secretary  of  War,  resigned  Dec.  29th  because  the 
President  refused  to  order  Major  Anderson  back  to  Fort  Moultrie. 
Jacob  Thompson,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  resigned  on  Jan.  8th,  on  the 
sailing  of  the  Star  of  the  West,  with  supplies  for  Fort  Sumter,  which 
was  fired  upon  by  the  river  batteries  in  Charleston  Harbor  and  driven 
back. 

Jan.  gth,  Mississippi  seceded  by  a  vote  of  84  to  15. 

Jan.    ioth,   Florida  seceded  by  a  vote   of  62  to  7. 

Jan.   nth  Alabama  seceded  by  a  vote  of  61  to  39. 

Jan.  nth,  Louisiana  seized  Forts  Philip  and  Jackson,  and  Pike  and 
Macomb,  and  the  United  States  Arsenal  at  Baton  Rouge. 

Jan.  1 3th,  Florida  seized  Pensacola  navy  yard  and  Fort  Barancas. 
Lieutenant  Slemmer  refused  to  surrender  Fort  Pickens,  and  thus  saved 
it  for  the  LInion. 

Jan.  i6th,  Colonel  Hayne  demanded  of  the  President  the  surrender 
of  Fort  Sumter.  which  was  refused. 

Jan.  i8th,  Virginia  appropriated  $1,000,000  for  State  defence. 

Jan.  igth,  Georgia  seceded  by  a  vote  of  208  to  89. 

Jan.    2 ist,    Jefferson    Davis    resigned    from   the   United    States    Senate. 

Jan.  26,   Louisiana  seceded  by  a  vote  of  113  to   17. 

Feb.    ist,  Texas   seceded  by  a  vote  of  166  to  7. 

Feb.  9th,  the  Confederate  Government  organized  at  Montgomery,  Ala., 
and  elected  Jefferson  Davis  and  Alexander  F£.  Stephens  provisional 
President  and  Vice-President  of  the  Southern  Confederacy. 

331 


332 

The  electoral  vote  of  February  i3th  gave  Abraham  Lincoln  180, 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  12,  John  C.  Breckenridge  72,  and  John  Bell  39. 
These  four  candidates  representing  the  various  views  of  Union  Men 
on  the  issue  then  pending. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  who  thus  became  President  of  the  United  States, 
was  like  Moses  and  Washington,  a  Providential  leader  raised  up  for  a 
special  emergency  and  fitted  to  bear  an  enormous  responsibility  and  a 
burden  of  anxiety,  such  as  would  have  overwhelmed  any  ordinary  man, 
and  yet  how  patiently,  kindly,  conscienciously,  bravely  and  skilfully  he  ful 
filled  his  splendid  mission,  and  carried  it  to  a  successful  issue. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  born  Feb.  I2th,  1809,  in  a  lowly  cabin  in  Kentucky, 
His  parents  were  poor,  and  he  was  raised  in  poverty,  worked  hard  for 
his  living  splitting  rails  and  doing  other  farm  work.  Later  he  was 
employed  in  a  village  store,  and  subsequently  became  a  surveyor.  At  the 
age  of  19  he  was  six  feet  four  inches  in  height  and  very  strong  and  mus 
cular  ;  his  only  books  were  the  Bible,  yEsop's  Fables,  history  of  the  United 
States,  life  of  Washington,  and  an  English  grammar,  which  he  borrowed. 
In  1832  he  was  a  captain  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  in  his  23rd  year.  From 
his  25th  to  33rd  year,  he  was  in  the  Illinois  Legislature,  followed  later 
by  one  term  in  Congress.  He  began  the  practice  of  law  in  1837,  and  took 
an  active  part  in  political  controversy.  While  in  the  Illinois  Legislature 
he  put  himself  on  record  against  slavery  in  the  following  words:  "The 
Institution  of  Slavery  is  founded  in  injustice  and  bad  policy,"  and  at  a 
later  date,  declared  that  "  This  Government  cannot  endure  permanently 
half  slavery,  and  half  free."  While  in  Congress  he  presented  a  resolu 
tion  for  the  gradual  abolition  of  slavery  with  compensation  to  the 
owners,  which  showed  a  moderation  and  fair  mindedness  towards  slave 
holders  that  it  would  have  been  well  for  them  to  have  heeded,  but  the 
South  refused  all  propositions  of  compromise.  In  1858,  Mr.  Lincoln's 
debate  with  Senator  Douglas  on  the  slavery  issue,  showed  him  possessed 
of  such  consummate  wisdom  and  tact  and  conservative  statesmanship, 
that  he  towered  above  all  other  public  men  in  the  National  councils,  and 
he  received  the  Republican  nomination,  was  elected,  and  inaugurated  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States  on  March  4th,  1861. 

The  South  at  once  commenced  active  hostilities ;  on  March  5th 
General  Beauregard  took  command  of  the  troops  at  Charleston  S.  C.. 
and  on  April  /th  ordered  all  intercourse  with  Fort  Sumter  to  cease; 
on  April  8th,  President  Lincoln  notified  South  Carolina  that  Fort  Sumter 
would  be  provisioned  by  force  if  necessary,  and  the  steamer  Atlantic 
sailed  from  New  York  with  troops  and  supplies.  On  April  nth  Beaure 
gard  demanded  the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter  which  Major  Anderson 
refused  to  do.  April  i2th  Beauregard  commenced  the  bombardment  of 
Fort  Sumter,  which,  after  a  brave  defence  for  two  days,  was  evacuated, 
under  a  flag  of  truce,  the  Major  and  his  men  being  allowed  to  retain 
their  arms  and  carry  the  flag  with  them,  but  this  overt  act  of  the  South 
in  firing  upon  the  American  flag  stirred  up  the  latent  spirit  of  loyalty  in 
the  North,  and  practically  united  all  loyal  men  in  a  determination  to  put 
down  the  rebellion  and  maintain  the  Union  and  the  supremacy  of  the 
National  Government  at  all  hazards. 


333 

April  I5th,  President  Lincoln  issued  a  Proclamation  commanding  all 
persons  in  arms  against  the  Government  to  disperse  within  twenty  days ; 
and  also  called  for  75,000  volunteers. 

April  i6th,  Kentucky,  Virginia,  Tennessee,  and  Missouri  refused  to 
furnish  troops  under  the  President's  proclamation  and  then  the  Con 
federate  Government  called  for  32,000  men,  and  Jefferson  Davis  issued 
a  proclamation  offering  Letters  of  Marque  and  Reprisal  to  all  who 
wished  to  engage  in  privateering;  thus  the  Nation  entered  upon  the 
great  Civil  War  of  four  years,  from  1861  to  1865,  in  which  2,000,000 
Union  Men  were  enrolled  to  uphold  the  Government  and  preserve  the 
Union,  of  whom  400,000  were  slain  in  battle,  or  died  of  disease;  and 
300,000  returned  maimed  or  crippled  for  life,  and  $5,000,000,000  were  ex 
pended  before  the  Southern  forces  were  vanquished  and  surrendered  to 
General  Grant  at  Appomattox.  What  it  cost  the  South  in  the  loss  of 
lives  and  property,  including  the  slaves  freed,  by  the  Emancipation  Procla 
mation  of  President  Lincoln,  which  was  issued  by  him  as  a  war  measure 
Sept.  22,  1862,  can  probably  never  be  accurately  estimated,  but  the  great 
totality  of  misery  and  destruction  resulting  to  both  sides,  presents  a 
salutary  object  lesson  against  war  for  the  adjustment  of  human  ills,  and 
the  Nation  or  People  who  resort  to  war  must  be  well  assured  that  their 
cause  is  just  and  righteous,  and  then,  only,  when  all  peaceable  means  of 
adjustment  have  failed. 

President  Lincoln  was  spared  to  see  his  Emancipation  Proclamation 
ratified  by  Congress  and  become  the  law  of  the  land ;  120,000  of  the  freed 
slaves  were  enrolled  as  Union  soldiers  and  did  good  service  under  skilled 
leaders.  He  lived  to  witness  the  overthrow  of  rebellion,  the  downfall  of 
the  Southern  Confederacy,  by  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  at  Appo 
mattox,  insuring  the  safety  of  the  Union,  and  then  died  by  the  hand  of  an 
assassin  at  Washington,  on  April  I4th,  1865.  He  died  a  glorious  Martyr 
in  the  cause  of  Liberty  and  righteousness,  and  his  .name  will  be  forever 
enshrined  with  that  of  Washington  in  the  veneration  and  affectionate 
regard  of  his  countrymen.  This  brief  tribute  to  him  may  be  fitly  closed 
with  two  of  his  famous  utterances  .  which  indicate  forcibly  his  reverence 
and  high  sense  of  duty,  his  firm  determination  and  forgiving  spirit. 
In  his  second  Inaugural  address  delivered  only  forty  days  before  his 
assassination,  he  said,  "  If  we  shall  suppose  that  American  slavery  is 
one  of  those  offenses  which  in  the  providence  of  God  must  needs  come, 
but  which,  having  continued  through  the  appointed  time,  he  now  wills 
to  remove,  and  that  he  gives  to  both  North  and  South  this  terrible  war, 
as  the  W7oe  due  to  those  by  whom  the  offense  came,  shall  we  discern 
therein  any  departure  from  those  Divine  attributes  which  the  believers 
in  a  living  God  always  ascribe  to  him?  Fondly  do  we  hope,  fervently 
do  we  pray,  that  this  mighty  scourge  of  war  may  speedily  pass  away. 
Yet  if  God  wills  that  it  continue,  until  all  the  wealth  piled  by  the  bonds 
men's  250  years  of  unrequited  toil  shall  be  sunk,  and  until  every  drop 
of  blood  drawn  with  the  lash  shall  be  paid  with  another  drawn  by  the 
sword  as  was  said  3,000  years  ago,  so  still  it  must  be  said:  The  judg 
ments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether. 


334 

''  With  malice  towards  none,  with  charity  for  all ;  with  firmness  in  the 
right  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  on  to  finish  the 
work  we  are  in ;  to  bind  up  the  Nation's  wounds ;  to  care  for  him  who 
shall  have  borne  the  battle,  and  for  his  widow  and  his  orphan  to  do  all 
which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just  and  lasting  peace  among  ourselves 
and  with  all  Nations." 

Another,  delivered  at  Gettysburg  at  the  dedication  of  a  Monument  to 
the  memory  of  the  Union  patriots  who  fell  on  that  bloody  battlefield, 
has  become  a  classic  which  challenges  the  admiration  of  all  students  of 
literature.  "  Four  score  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers  brought  forth 
upon  this  continent  a  new  Nation,  conceived  in  liberty,  and  dedicated  to 
the  proposition  that  all  men  are  created  equal.  Now  we  are  engaged  in  a 
great  Civil  War,  testing  whether  the  Nation,  or  any  Nation  so  conceived 
and  so  dedicated,  can  long  endure.  We  are  met  on  a  great  battlefield 
of  that  war.  We  have  come  to  dedicate  a  portion  of  that  field  as  a 
final  resting  place  for  those  who  here  gave  their  lives  that  that  Nation 
might  live.  It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper  that  we  should  do  this. 
But  in  a  larger  sense  we  cannot  dedicate,  we  cannot  consecrate,  we  cannot 
hallow  this  ground.  The  brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who  struggled  here 
have  consecrated  it  far  above  our  power  to  add  or  detract.  The  world 
will  little  note,  or  long  remember,  what  we  say  here,  but  they  can  never 
forget  what  they  did  here.  It  is  for  us,  the  living,  rather,  to  be  dedicated 
here  to  the  unfinished  work  which  they  who  fought  here  have  thus  far 
so  nobly  advanced.  It  is  rather  for  us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great 
task  remaining  before  us,  that  from  these  honored  dead  we  take  in 
creased  devotion  to  that  cause  for  which  they  gave  the  last  full  measure 
of  devotion,  that  we  here  highly  resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not  have 
died  in  vain,  that  this  Nation  under  God  shall  have  a  new  birth  of 
Freedom,  and  that  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the 
people,  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth." 

We  will  now  return  to  a  recital,  chronologically,  of  the  principal  events 
that  occurred  after  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter,  on  April  I2th,  1861  : 

April  1 7th,  Virginia  seceded  by  a  vote  of  60  to  53,  and  placed  obstruc 
tions  in  the  channel  at  Norfolk  to  prevent  the  sailing  of  United  States  war 
vessels  from  that  place. 

April  19,  President  Lincoln  declared  the  ports  of  South  Carolina, 
Florida,  Georgia,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  Texas  in  a  state 
of  blockade. 

April  27th,  all  the  United  officers  were  requested  to  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance. 

May  3rd,  President  Lincoln  called  for  42,000  volunteers  or  recruits 
for  three  years,  22,000  for  the  regular  army,  and  18,000  seamen. 

May  4th,  General  McClellan  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Department 
of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinofs. 

May  5th,  General  Butler  with  the  6th  Mass,  and  8th  New  York  regi 
ments,  took  possession  of  the  Relay  House,  Md. 

May  24th,  13,000  troops  crossed  the  Potomac  and  occupied  Alexandria, 
where  Colonel  Ellsworth  was  shot  by  Jackson,  who  was  also  instantly 
killed. 


335 

June  loth,  at  battle  of  Big  Bethel,  three  regiments  of  Union  troops 
were  defeated;  Union  loss,  Major  Winthrop  and  sixteen  men  killed,  and 
forty-one  wounded. 

July  2nd,  General  Patterson  defeated  the  Confederates  at  Falling 
Water,  Va.  Union  loss,  three  killed  and  ten  wounded. 

July  5th,  battle  of  Carthage,  Mo.  After  a  protracted  contest,  Colonel 
Sigel  with  1500  Union  troops  retreated  to  Springfield.  Union  loss,  three 
killed,  31  wounded. 

July  nth,  the  senators  from  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  Texas,  Arkansas, 
and  Nicholson,  of  Tennessee,  were  expelled  from  the  United  States 
Senate. 

July  I2th,  at  battle  of  Rich  Mountain,  Colonel  Rosecrans  defeated 
the  Confederates,  capturing  800  prisoners,  besides  150  killed  and  wounded 
on  Confederate  side.  Union  loss,  n  killed,  and  35  wounded. 

July  i3th,  battle  of  Carrick's  Ford,  Va.  Confederates  defeated,  and 
their  General,  Garnett,  killed.  Union  loss,  two  killed,  and  ten  wounded. 

July  I3th,  battle  of  Scareytown,  Va.  The  Union  forces  under  Colonel 
Lowe  were  defeated.  Union  loss,  nine  killed,  and  40  wounded. 

July  15th,  skirmish  at  Bunker  Hill,  Va.  An  attack  by  Rebel  cavalry 
under  Colonel  Stewart  was  repulsed. 

July  i8th,  battle  of  Blackburn  Ford,  Va.,  resulting  in  General  Tyler,, 
commanding  the  Union  forces,  withdrawing  to  Centreville.  Union  loss, 
19  killed,  and  64  wounded. 

July  21  st,  battle  of  Bull  Run  opened  favorably  for  the  Union  troops 
under  General  McDowell,  but  the  arrival  of  General  Johnston  with  large 
reinforcement  caused  a  disorderly  retreat  towards  Washington.  Union 
loss,  481  killed,  104  wounded,  1216  missing;  Confederate  loss  209  killed, 
1483  wounded. 

July  22nd,  General  McClellan  placed  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac. 

July  25th,  General  Rosecrans  took  command  of  the  Army  of  West 
Virginia. 

Aug.  2nd,  General  Lyon  defeated  the  Confederates  at  Dug  Springs. 
Mo.  Union  loss,  8  killed,  30  wounded. 

Aug.  loth,  battle  of  Wilson  Creek,  Mo.  Union  troops  5000,  Con 
federates  10,000;  after  a  hard  fight  of  six  hours  General  Lyon  was 
killed,  and  the  Union  troops  under  Colonel  Sigel  and  Major  Sturges 
retired  to  Springfield,  but  the  enemy  did  not  pursue.  Union  loss,  223 
killed,  1012  wounded  and  missing.  Confederate  loss,  265  killed,  and  800 
wounded. 

Aug.  I2th,  President  Lincoln  appointed  Sept  3Oth  a  fast  day. 

Aug.  29th,  Fort  Hatteras  surrendered  to  the  Union  forces.  Con 
federate  loss,  49  killed,  51  wounded,  691  prisoners. 

Sept.  4th,  the  Confederates  attempted  to  cross  the  Potomac  at  Great 
Falls,  but  were  repulsed. 

Sept.  loth,  battle  of  Carnifex  Ferry.  General  Rosecrans  with  4500 
troops  attacked  the  Confederates  under  Floyd,  who  retreated  during  the 
night,  destroying  the  bridge  to  prevent  pursuit.  Union  loss,  15  killed, 
and  70  wounded. 


336 

Sept.  i2th,  fight  at  Cheat  Mountain,  and  Colonel  J.  A.  Washington, 
proprietor  Mt.  Vernon,  killed.  Union  loss,  9  killed,  12  wounded. 

Sept.  i;th,  battle  of  Blue  Mills,  Mo.,  Rebels  retreated.  Union  loss, 
12  killed,  and  85  wounded. 

Sept.  20,  battle  of  Lexington,  Mo.  Colonel  Mulligan  with  2460  Union 
troops  was  attacked  by  a  much  larger  force;  after  a  gallant  defence 
of  four  days  was  compelled  to  surrender.  Union  loss,  39  killed,  and  120 
wounded. 

Oct.  2ist,  battle  of  Balls  Bluff;  Colonel  Baker  with  1900  Union 
troops  being  unsupported  by  reinforcements  as  planned,  had  to  contend 
with  a  superior  force,  and  after  a  hard  fight  in  which  Colonel  Baker  was 
killed,  the  Federals  retreated.  Union  loss,  223  killed,  266  wounded,  and 
455  prisoners. 

Oct.  21  st,  battle  of  Wild  Cat,  Ky.  General  Zollicoffer  with  6000 
Confederates  was  repulsed  by  General  Schepff.  Union  loss,  4  killed,  21 
wounded. 

Oct.  29th,  the  Second  Naval  outfit  of  80  vessels  and  15,000  men  sailed 
from  Fortress  Monroe  under  Commodore  Dupont,  General  Sherman  Com 
manding  the  land  forces. 

Nov.  7th,  battle  of  Belmont;  General  Grant  with  2800  troops  drove 
the  enemy  out,  destroyed  their  camp,  and  captured  a  quantity  of  arms, 
but  was  compelled  to  retreat  on  the  arrival  of  reinforcements.  Union  loss 
84  killed,  288  wounded,  235  missing. 

Nov.  27th,  General  McClellan  directed  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath 
in  all  the  companies  of  the  United  States  Army. 

Dec.  5th,  Official  Report  of  the  Union  forces  show  at  this  date  640,537 
volunteers,  20,334  regulars,  22,000  seamen. 

Dec.  1 7th,  fight  at  Munfordville,  Ky.  a  drawn  battle.  Union  loss,  10 
killed  and  17  wounded. 

Dec.  i8th,  General  Pope  captured  1300  rebels,  1000  stand  of  arms, 
horses  and  wagons  at  Milford,  Mo. 

Dec.  20th,  battle  of  Drainsville,  Va.  General  McCall  defeated  the 
Confederates.  Union  loss,  7  killed,  and  61  wounded. 

Jan.  4th,  1862.  General  Milroy  defeated  Confederates  at  Huntersville, 
Va.,  and  captured  $80,000  worth  of  stores. 

Jan.  loth,  Colonel  Garfield  defeated  the  Confederates  under  Humphrey 
Marshall  at  Prestonburg,  Ky. 

Jan.  igth,  battle  of  Mill  Spring,  Ky.  Confederates  defeated,  their 
•General,  Zollicoffer,  killed.  Union  loss  39  killed,  and  127  wounded. 

Feb.  6th,  Fort  Henry  surrendered  to  Commodore  Foote. 

Feb.  8th,  General  Burnside  captured  the  six  forts  on  Roanoke  Island 
and  destroyed  the  Confederate  fleet,  taking  2500  prisoners,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  ammunition. 

Feb.  1 6th,  Fort  Donelson  was  unconditionally  surrendered  to  General 
Grant  by  General  Buckner,  with  12,000  to  15,000  prisoners,  40  cannons, 
and  a  large  amount  of  stores.  Union  loss,  321  killed,  1046  wounded. 

Feb.  22nd,  Jefferson  Davis  inaugurated  President,  and  A.  H.  Stephens 
Vice- President  of  the  Southern  Confederacy. 


337 

March  6th  to  8th,  battle  of  Pea  Ridge  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  the 
Confederates  by  General  Curtis.  Union  loss  212  killed,  and  926  wounded. 

March  8th,  the  Rebel  steamers,  Merrimac,  Jamestown  and  Yorktoivn 
attacked  the  United  States  fleet  at  Hampton  Roads,  and  destroyed  the 
Cumberland  and  Congress.  Union  loss,  201  killed,  and  108  wounded. 

March  9th,  the  Monitor  attacked  the  Merrimac,  and  she  was  com 
pelled  to  seek  protection  of  the  Rebel  battery  at  Sewall's  Point,  and 
never  renewed  the  contest. 

March  I4th,  General  Burnside  captured  Newberne,  N.  C,  with  a  large 
quantity  of  ammunition  and  stores.  Union  loss,  91  killed,  and  466 
wounded. 

April  6th  and  7th,  battle  of  Shiloh,  or  Pittsburg  Landing,  Con 
federate  Generals  Johnston  and  Beauregard  attacked  General  Grant. 
Rebels  finally  defeated,  and  retreated  to  Corinth.  Union  loss,  1641 
killed,  7721  wounded,  3956  missing,  General  Johnston  was  killed. 

April  8th,  Island  No.  10  was  captured  with  5000  prisoners,  100  siege 
guns,  24  pieces  of  field  artillery,  5000  small  arms,  2000  hogshead  of 
sugar,  and  a  large  quantity  of  ammunition,  etc.  The  Union  forces  did 
not  lose  a  man. 

April  i2th,  General  Mitchell  captured  2000  Confederates  at  Chat 
tanooga. 

April  igth,  General  Reno  with  2000  Union  troops  defeated  the  Con 
federates  at  Camden,  N.  C.  Union  loss,  14  killed,  and  99  wounded. 

April  25th,  Commodore  Farragut  took  possession  of  New  Orleans, 
and  secured  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip,  13  gunboats  including  the  ram 
Manassas,  and  iron-clad  Louisiana. 

May  5th,  battle  of  Williamsburg,  Va.  Generals  Hancock  and  Hooker 
defeated  the  Confederates,  who  retreated  in  the  night  towards  Richmond. 
Union  loss,  200  killed,  and  700  wounded. 

May  7th,  battle  at  West  Point,  Va.  Generals  Franklin  and  Sedgwick 
with  20,000  troops  were  attacked  by  the  Confederate  General  Lee,  who 
was  defeated.  Union  loss,  300  killed  and  wounded. 

May  loth,  the  Union  forces  took  possession  of  Norfolk,  Va.,  destroyed 
the  iron-clad  Merrimac,  and  secured  a  large  quantity  of  ammunition,  etc. 

May  i2th,  Natchez,  Miss,  surrendered  to  Commodore  Farragut. 

May  25th,  General  Banks  was  defeated  at  Winchester,  Va.  and  retreated 
across  the  Potomac. 

May  27th,  Confederates  defeated  at  Hanover  C.  H.,  Va. 

May  3Oth,  Rebels  evacuated  and  Union  troops  occupied  Corinth. 

May  3ist,  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  Va.  Confederates  under  General 
Johnston  attacked  the  left  wing  of  the  Union  Army,  which  was  driven 
back,  but  renewed  the  fight  next  day,  and  repulsed  the  Rebels.  Con 
federate  loss,  6134.  Union  loss,  890  killed,  and  4844  wounded. 

June  6th,  Naval  engagement,  seven  Rebel  gunboats  destroyed,  and 
Memphis  surrendered. 

June  26th,  General  Pope  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
Virginia. 


338 

June  26th,  Rebels  atacked  McClellan's  right  wing  at  Mechanicsville, 
the  day  closed  with  battle  undecided. 

June  27th,  battle  renewed,  Federals  driven  back. 

June  28th,  fighting  all  day  between  the  Federal  right  wing  and  the 
Confederate  left  wing,  Rebels  were  repulsed,  and  the  Federal  force  fell 
back  in  good  order. 

June  29th,  battle  renewed  at  Peach  Orchard,  Confederates  attacking, 
but  were  driven  back,  and  again  attacked  at  Savage  Station,  battle  con 
tinuing  until  nine  o'clock  at  night. 

June  30th,  battle  renewed  at  White  Oak  Swamp,  with  heavy  loss  on 
both  sides,  General  McClellan  retreats  towards  James  River.  General 
Heintzelman's  corps  subsequently  charged,  and  routed  the  Confederates, 
capturing  2000  prisoners. 

July   ist,   battle   of   Malvern   Hill,   and   last   of  the   Richmond  battles. 
The   Confederates   were  repulsed  at  every  point,   the  Union   loss   in   the 
six  days'  fighting  before  Richmond  and   1561   killed,   7701   wounded,  and 
5958    missing,    mainly    prisoners;    the    Confederates    lost    19,000,    but    the 
result  as  a  whole,  was  a  serious  check  to  the  Union  arms. 
July   ist,    President   Lincoln   called   for   300,000  volunteers. 
Aug.    loth,    battle    of    Cedar    Mountain;    General    Jackson    attacked 
General    Banks,    who    held    his    position    at    a    heavy    loss    of   450   killed, 
660  wounded,  and  290  prisoners ;  the  enemy  fell  back,  and  did  not  renew 
the  fight;  Confederate  loss  1276. 

Aug.   i6th,  General  McClellan  evacuated  Harrison's  Landing. 
Aug.  26th,  General  Ewell  drove  the  Union  troops  from  Manassas  and 
pushed  towards  Alexandria. 

Aug.    27th,    General    Pope    fell    back    towards    Warrenton,    and,    when 

joined  by  General  Hooker,  met  Ewell  at  Kettle  Run,  and  defeated  him. 

Aug.  29th,  battle  of  Gainsville  or  Groveton,  Va. ;  commenced  at  10.00 

A.   M.,   and    continued    until    6.00   P.    M.,    when    the    Confederates    retired. 

Aug.  30th,  battle  of  Richmond,  Ky.     The  Union  troops  under  General 

Manson  were  defeated.    Union  loss,  200  killed,  and  700  wounded,  and  2000 

prisoners. 

Aug.  30th,  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  the  Federal  forces  under 
General  Pope  were  defeated  and  fell  back  to  Centreville.  Union  loss, 
15,000;  Confederate  loss,  10,000. 

Sept.  ist,  fight  at  Chantilly,  Va.  The  Union  troops  under  Generals 
Hooker,  Reno,  and  Kearney,  after  a  fierce  and  short  conflict,  compelled 
the  enemy  to  retire,  leaving  their  killed  and  wounded  on  the  field. 

Sept.  7th,  General  McClellan  took  command  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac. 

Sept.  I4th,  battle  of  South  Mountain;  the  fight  was  severe  and  the 
loss  heavy  on  both  sides ;  the  Confederates  retreated  towards  the  Potomac. 
Union  loss,  General  Reno,  and  443  men  killed,  and  1806  wounded. 

Sept.  I5th,  Harper's  Ferry  surrendered  with  8000  men,  to  the  Confed 
erates. 

Sept.  1 7th,  battle  of  Antietam  (or  Sharpsburg)  was  the  bloodiest 
one  day's  fight  of  the  war.  The  two  armies  each  numbered  nearly 


339 

100,000  men,  the  Confederates  retreated  during  the  night,  leaving  3500 
prisoners,  39  flags,  and  13  guns.  Union  loss,  2010  killed,  9416  wounded, 
and  1043  missing.  Confederate  loss,  13,687  killed  and  wounded  (making 
a  total  of  26,156). 

Sept.  i8th,  Confederates  evacuated  Harper's  Ferry,  leaving  their  sick 
and  wounded  behind. 

Sept.  22nd,  President  Lincoln  issued  the  Emancipation  Proclamation, 
freeing  the  slaves. 

Oct.  3rd  and  4th,  battle  of  Corinth,  Miss.  Confederates  were  defeated 
with  heavy  loss.  Union  loss,  315  killed,  1802  wounded. 

Oct.  8th,  battle  of  Perryville,  Ky.  General  Buell  was  attacked  by 
Confederate  Generals  Jackson  and  Tirrell.  After  a  heavy  loss  on  both 
sides,  the  Confederates  retreated.  Union  loss,  over  300  killed  and 
wounded. 

Nov.  3rd,  the  Union  troops  occupied  Snicker's  Gap,  Upperville, 
Thoroughfare  Gap,  Ashby's  Gap,  and  Piedmont,  Va. 

Nov.  5th,  General  McClellan  was  relieved  of  the  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  and  General  Burnsides  succeeded  him. 

Nov.  i6th,  President  Lincoln  enjoined  upon  the  United  States  Army 
the  orderly  observance  of  the  Sabbath. 

Nov.  28th,  battle  of  Cane  Hill,  Ark.  General  Blunt  with  1000  Union 
troops  defeated  the  Confederates  who  retreated  to  Van  Buren,  with 
heavy  loss. 

Dec.  7th,  the  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  Ark.  Generals  Blunt  and 
Herron  commanding  the  Union  troops,  defeated  the  Confederates,  who 
retreated  in  the  night,  leaving  their  dead  and  wounded.  Union  loss, 
495  killed,  and  500  wounded. 

Dec.  7th,  the  Rebel  General  Morgan  captured  four  regiments  of  Union 
troops  at  Hartsville,  Tenn. 

Dec.  I3th,  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  Va.  The  Confederate  works  were 
attacked  in  their  intrenchments  by  Generals  Sumner,  Hooker,  and 
Franklin,  but  they  were  repulsed  with  a  heavy  loss.  Union  loss,  .1284 
killed,  9600  wounded,  and  1769  missing  or  prisoners.  Confederate  loss, 
595  killed,  4074  wounded,  and  653  missing  or  prisoners. 

Dec.  27th,  General  Sherman  made  an  attack  on  Vicksburg,  but  failed 
for  want  of  co-operation  which  could  not  reach  him,  and  he  was  driven 
back. 

Dec.  3ist,  battle  of  Murfreesboro  (or  Stone  River).  General  Rose- 
crans  with  45,000  Union  troops  was  attacked,  and  his  right  wing  driven 
back,  with  a  loss  of  26  guns ;  but  the  Confederates  were  repulsed  and  the 
ground  regained.  Union  loss,  in  three  days'  fighting,  600  killed,  1500 
wounded,  and  1000  missing. 

Jan.  loth,  1863,  battle  at  Arkansas  Post.  The  Mississippi  squadron 
under  Admiral  Porter  and  land  force  under  General  McClernand  captured 
this  place  with  7000  prisoners,  and  a  large  quantity  of  ammunition. 
Union  loss,  200  killed  and  wounded. 

Jan.  28th,  General  Hooker  succeeded  General  Burnside  in  the  command 
of  the  army  of  the  Potomac. 


340 

March  5th,  General  Coburn  with  five  regiments  of  infantry  and  two 
of  cavalry,  was  attacked  by  a  superior  force  of  Confederates  under 
General  Van  Dorn,  and  was  defeated  with  a  heavy  loss,  120  killed,  and 
1206  taken  prisoners. 

April   27th   to    May   5th,   battle   of    Chancellorsville. 

The  Union  Army  under  General  Hooker  commenced  marching  April 
27th,  crossed  the  Rappahannock  and  Rapidan  and  got  in  position  at 
Chancellorsville  about  ten  miles  west  of  Fredericksburg.  After  skirmish 
ing  on  Friday  and  Saturday,  May  ist  and  2nd,  the  main  battle  was  fought 
Saturday  evening  and  Sunday,  May  2nd  and  3rd.  A  successful  flank 
attack  by  General  Jackson  routed  the  nth  corps  and  disarranged 
General  Hooker's  plans,  resulting  in  the  defeat  of  the  Federal  Army,  and 
its  withdrawal  from  the  field  on  May  5th.  The  Union  loss  was  17,287 
killed,  wounded  and  prisoners.  The  Confederate  loss  was  13,000  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners,  but  in  the  death  of  "  Stonewall  Jackson  "  from 
a  wound  received  in  this  battle,  the  Confederate  cause  sustained  a  loss 
from  which  it  never  recovered. 

May  i4th,  battle  of  Jackson,   Miss.     May  23rd,  assault  on  Vicksburg. 

June  gth,  a  severe  cavalry  fight  occurred  at  Fleetwood,  Va.  between 
the  Union  cavalry  under  General  Pleasanton,  and  the  Confederate  cavalry 
under  General  Stuart,  ending  in  heavy  losses  on  both  sides.  Union 
loss,  907,  Confederate  loss,  485. 

June  isth,  battle  at  Winchester,  General  Milroy  was  attacked  by 
the  Confederate  General  Ewell,  and  after  a  severe  engagement  the  Union 
troops  retreated  to  Harper's  Ferry  and  thence  to  Maryland  Heights,  and 
Hancock.  Ewell  captured  4000  prisoners,  25  cannon,  and  11  flags,  then 
crossed  the  Potomac  to  Hagerstown  and  Sharpsburg,  and  sent  a  cavalry 
brigade  under  General  Jenkins  towards  Chambersburg. 

June  2ist,  General  Pleasanton  with  cavalry  and  infantry  attacked 
General.  Stuart's  cavalry  brigade  at  Upperville,  and  drove  him  back  to 
Ashby's  Gap. 

June  23rd,  to  June  27th,  the  cavalry  under  General  Imboden  (Con 
federate)  ordered  on  General  Ewell's  left  were  due  as  far  north  as 
McConnellsburg,  but  halted  at  Hancock  (from  Longstreet's  book). 
The  Confederates  stopped  two  days  at  Chambersburg,  Pa. 

June  28,  General  Lee  issued  orders  for  the  march  on  Harrisburg, 
General  Ewell  then  occupying  Carlisle.  The  failure  of  the  Imboden 
cavalry  on  his  left  caused  General  Ewell  to  send  General  Geo.  H.  Stewart 
through  McConnellsburg  to  guard  that  flank.  (Longstreet.) 

June  27th,  General  Geo.  G.  Meade  took  command  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  in  place  of  General  Hooker,  who  resigned  because  General  Hal- 
lock  refused  him  the  use  of  troops  at  Harper's  Ferry,  with  which  to 
strike  the  Confederate  line  of  communication.  (General  Longstreet  since 
says  their  trains  were  exposed  from  Chambersburg  to  the  Potomac, 
without  cavalry  to  report  trouble.) 

July  ist,  battle  of  Gettysburg.  General  John  F.  Reynolds,  commander 
of  the  right  wing  of  the  Union  Army  (ist,  3rd,  and  nth  corps)  advanced 
to  the  support  of  General  Buford's  cavalry,  which  had  met  Heth's  division 


341 

at  10.00  o'clock  A.  M.  and  been  forced  back  to  Willoughby  Run,  and 
was  killed  in  the  severe  engagement  that  followed.  General  Doubleday's 
division  arriving,  and  the  Confederates  likewise  being  reinforced,  a 
general  engagement  followed.  General  Howard  of  the  nth  Corps,  had 
occupied  Cemetery  Hill,  and  sent  two  divisions  (Barlow  and  Schurz) 
to  support  Doubleday.  At  2.45  p.  M.  the  Union  forces  were  compelled 
to  withdraw  to  Cemetery  Hill,  followed  by  the  Confederates  through  the 
streets  of  Gettysburg  at  4.00  P.  M.  General  Hancock  having  arrived  on 
the  field  at  3.00  o'clock  P.  M.  assumed  command,  and,  assisted  by  General 
Howard,  formed  a  new  line. 

July  2nd,  at  12.00  o'clock  noon,  a  skirmish  between  the  3rd  Maine  and 
the  loth  Alabama,  reinforced  by  the  nth  Confederate  Regiment,  resulted 
in  the  withdrawal  of  our  skirmishers  to  the  main  line  at  3.00  P.  M. 
The  combat  opened  by  the  Confederate  artillery  upon  the  Union  left, 
followed  by  an  advance  of  Hood's  troops  towards  "  Little  Round  Top," 
the  "  Battle  was  on "  and  the  fighting  desperate  and  bloody.  General 
Hood  fell  seriously  hurt,  and  General  Law  succeeded  him  in  command ; 
on  the  Union  side,  General  Sickles  was  badly  wounded  and  lost  a  leg; 
General  Hancock  reported  sixty  per  cent,  of  his  men  lost ;  the  battle 
of  this  day  ended  by  the  recall  of  the  Confederates  at  sundown,  and  the 
result  was  a  heavy  loss  on  both  sides,  but  the  Union  loss  exceeded  that 
of  the  Confederate. 

July  3rd,  the  Confederate  General  Geo.  E.  Pickett  with  15,000 
troops,  made  a  daring  assault  on  the  Union  line  across  an  open  space 
a  mile  in  width,  and  suffered  so  disastrously  from  the  artillery  and 
rifles  of  the  Union  forces,  that  the  slaughter  was  unparalleled  in  the 
annals  of  the  war. 

July  4th,  General  Lee  issued  orders  .for  the  retreat  of  the  Confederate 
Army  and  this  ended  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg. 

Union  forces  engaged,  99,131  ;  Union  loss,  23,049,  killed  and  wounded. 

Confederate  forces  engaged,  75,568;  Confederate  loss  21,637,  killed 
and  wounded. 

July  4th,  Vicksburg  surrendered  to  General  Grant,  which  gave  the 
control  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf. 

July  I3th,  General  Kilpatrick's  cavalry  came  upon  the  rear  of  the 
Confederates  and  captured  General  Pettigrew  and  200  prisoners.  Petti- 
grew  was  mortally  wounded,  and  died  in  a  few  days. 

July  i8th,  assaults  on  Fort  Wagner.  July  27th,  Rebel  cavalry  leader, 
John  Morgan,  captured. 

Sept.  2Qth,  General  Frazee,  with  2000  Confederate  troops,  surrendered 
to  General  Burnside  at  Cumberland  Gap,  Tenn. 

Sept.  2Oth,  Chickamauga  Campaign. 

Oct.  I9th,  General  Grant  took  command  of  the  departments  of 
Tennessee,  Cumberland  and  Ohio,  with  General  Thomas  in  command  of 
the  Cumberland,  and  General  Sherman  in  command  of  the  Tennessee. 
The  points  on  Lookout  Mountain  commanding  the  river  were  recap 
tured  by  General  Hooker,  on  October  29th.  On  November  24th, 
Sherman  marched  up  the  Tennessee  and  crossed  it,  and  captured  the  east 


342 

end  of  Missionary  Ridge.  General  Thomas  formerly  held  the  centre  and 
Hooker  , drove  the  enemy  from  Lookout  Summit,  and  on  Nov.  25th, 
the  enemy  were  completely  routed.  Union  loss  4000  killed,  wounded  and 
missing;  Confederate  loss,  6000  prisoners,  42  cannon,  600  guns,  besides 
thousands  in  killed  and  wounded. 

1864,  Feb.  20th,  battle  of  Olistee,  Florida. 
April  20th,  Plymouth,  N.  C.  captured. 
May   i5th,   battle  of   Resaca,   Ga. 

June  2nd,  battle  of   Cold   Harbor,   Va. 

June    5th,    battle    of    Piedmont,    Va. 

June    nth,    Sherman    reached    Kenesaw. 

June  1 9th,  Rebel  ram  Alabama  sank  by  the  Kearsarge. 

July  22nd,   Major   General    McPherson   killed. 

July  28th,  righting  ends  at  Atlanta,  Ga. 

July  30th,  Chambersburg  invaded  and  burned  by  the  Confederates. 

Aug.    5th,    Mobile    forts    attacked. 

Aug.  6th,  ram  Tennessee  captured. 

Aug  31  st,   battle  of  Jonesboro,   Ga. 

Sept.   4th  Rebel  General   Morgan  killed. 

Sept.  22nd,  battle  of  Fisher's  Hill,  Va. 

Sept.  28th,  Fort  Harrison,  Va.  captured. 

Oct.  2Oth,  Rebel  steamer  Florida  captured. 

Oct.  27th,  ram  Albemarle  destroyed. 

Nov.    i4th,    General    Sherman    marched    to    the    sea. 

Dec.    2ist,    Savannah    captured. 

Dec.  24th,  Fort  Fisher  stormed. 

1865,  Feb.  nth,  Charleston,  S.  C.  evacuated. 
Feb.  i;th,  Columbia,  S.  C.  burned. 

April   ist,  battle  of  Five  Forks. 

April  Qth,  General  Lee  surrendered  to  General  Grant  at  Appomattox. 
April   14,   President  Lincoln  assassinated. 

April    26th,    Confederate    General    Johnston    surrendered    to    General 
Sherman. 

May   loth,   Confederate   President  Jefferson  Davis   captured. 
July  29th,  Confederate  soldiers  paroled  to  their  homes. 


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